HMRC to roll out enquiry centre closures

HMRC to roll out enquiry centre closures

After seven-month trial, all 281 enquiry centres to close

ALL 281 of HM Revenue & Customs’ enquiry centres are to be mothballed following a successful seven-month trial of alternatives in the north east.

In its place, HM Revenue & Customs is to introduce a “flexible” telephone service, while visits can be made to “a range of convenient locations” including tax payers’ homes and businesses.

The move will affect 1,300 jobs, although it is expected many of those will be redeployed within the department. HMRC claims the move will save tax payers £17m per year in travel costs, while it puts the saving from closing the centres at £27m.

The taxman said “phone advisers will be able to bring HMRC experts together in a single call” to resolve multiple issues, without transferring customers around different parts of HMRC to different advisers who each deal with a separate issue.

Following the launch of the new service in May 2014, the current enquiry centre network will close.

Ruth Owen, HMRC’s director general for personal tax, said: “HMRC is dedicated to providing help to customers when they need it. The pilot showed that this is a valuable service for those who cannot get the help they need elsewhere.

“Our enquiry centres offer a great service to those who can reach them. But they are spread unevenly across the UK, the number of people using them continues to fall, and our research shows that the majority of customers who do use them don’t actually need to. The new service will enable us to tailor help in a way that works better and is more affordable.

“Our specialised phone service will help customers whose affairs can be resolved over the telephone, and our face-to-face help will be available to those who need it, visiting them at a place convenient to them.”

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource