There has been a ‘lack of clarity over the impact this decision will have on taxpayers’, according to Harriett Baldwin, chair of the Treasury Committee, in HMRC’s response to questions on the summer closure of the self-assessment (SA) helpline, which ‘simply isn’t good enough’. She added that ‘These decisions should not be taken in haste and with no consultation, and as a committee, we will be keeping a close eye on developments in this area.’
In her letter to the committee, HMRC deputy chief executive Angela MacDonald confirmed that HMRC did not consult external organisations before the announcement, saying ‘We have been clear on our long-term direction of greater use of digital and self-service channels and have been talking to stakeholders about the challenges we face. Moreover, this is a pilot and we will learn lessons and gather feedback from customers and external bodies as part of this work’. She confirmed that data collected during the pilot would allow HMRC ‘to assess how the SA service is used, any impacts on other lines and services, customer feedback, and customer behaviour. This will include monitoring any additional contact through other HMRC telephone lines and via post’.
Ms MacDonald told the committee that the pilot was not related to HMRC’s flexible working policies ‘in any way’ with staff deployed in other customer service roles. She said: ‘We are making this change to test our ambitions to support our customers through digital channels, to improve our services and our productivity. It will free up around 350 advisers to support more urgent enquiries and to keep our post up to date, reducing the need for progress chasing calls. This can help ensure more people who need to speak to an adviser can do so. At the same time, we must encourage those able to use HMRC’s digital services to do so.’ An evaluation report of the pilot is expected early next year.
There has been a ‘lack of clarity over the impact this decision will have on taxpayers’, according to Harriett Baldwin, chair of the Treasury Committee, in HMRC’s response to questions on the summer closure of the self-assessment (SA) helpline, which ‘simply isn’t good enough’. She added that ‘These decisions should not be taken in haste and with no consultation, and as a committee, we will be keeping a close eye on developments in this area.’
In her letter to the committee, HMRC deputy chief executive Angela MacDonald confirmed that HMRC did not consult external organisations before the announcement, saying ‘We have been clear on our long-term direction of greater use of digital and self-service channels and have been talking to stakeholders about the challenges we face. Moreover, this is a pilot and we will learn lessons and gather feedback from customers and external bodies as part of this work’. She confirmed that data collected during the pilot would allow HMRC ‘to assess how the SA service is used, any impacts on other lines and services, customer feedback, and customer behaviour. This will include monitoring any additional contact through other HMRC telephone lines and via post’.
Ms MacDonald told the committee that the pilot was not related to HMRC’s flexible working policies ‘in any way’ with staff deployed in other customer service roles. She said: ‘We are making this change to test our ambitions to support our customers through digital channels, to improve our services and our productivity. It will free up around 350 advisers to support more urgent enquiries and to keep our post up to date, reducing the need for progress chasing calls. This can help ensure more people who need to speak to an adviser can do so. At the same time, we must encourage those able to use HMRC’s digital services to do so.’ An evaluation report of the pilot is expected early next year.
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