Ministers must set up an emergency taskforce to tackle the unacceptable backlog at HMRC, which is hindering growth, ICAEW has said.
In a series of recommendations made to the government ahead of the Spring Budget, ICAEW pointed out that taxpayers and accountants are having to wait up to a year for HMRC to respond to queries over the phone or by post. The institute said callers report that they have waited for more than an hour before being cut off!
Customer service staffing levels at HMRC have been cut from 25,500 to 19,500 people, causing long delays for both agents and taxpayers.
ICAEW’s recommendations for the Spring Budget can be viewed in full here.
