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An open letter urging the chancellor to improve HMRC’s service levels has been signed by ten leading UK professional bodies.
The signatories of the letter represent hundreds of thousands of accountancy and tax advisors working across the UK from small and microbusinesses to multinational organisations.
They are asking the chancellor to prioritise funding in HMRC’s service levels prior to his upcoming Budget statement on 15 March 2023. In the letter, they argue that “despite its critical role in funding the public sector, customer service levels delivered by HMRC have fallen to an unacceptably low level”.
According to the Public Accounts Committee, £42bn in taxes have not been collected yet and during the course of the last five years HMRC customer service staff numbers have been cut by 24%. Insufficient resourcing and underinvestment in HMRC’s systems are causing severe delays and disruptions for repayments and relief claims, with some businesses waiting upwards of six months.
The letter concluded: “Responsible businesses should always ensure that their accountants and tax agents are members of a professional body which has strong codes of ethics and practice.
“The Budget presents you with an opportunity to properly invest in HMRC, with a focus on improving customer service and effectiveness, so it can help both improve public sector finances and boost productivity in the UK as a whole. We urge you to consider this as a top priority in your forthcoming statement.”
