Jeremy Hunt scraps HMRC plans to close phone lines for six months a year

Jeremy Hunt has ordered HM Revenue & Customs to ditch plans to shut its phone lines over the summer each year.

The chancellor told the tax office to “pause” the changes, which would have seen taxpayers forced to use online services rather than call the self-assessment helpline.

HMRC announced changes to its self-assessment, VAT and PAYE helplines on Tuesday to encourage people to go online first, following trials over the last year.

The revenue body is now engaging with its stakeholders about how to meet the needs of all taxpayers, including small businesses.

A Treasury source told The Telegraph: “Encouraging customers to self-serve online wherever possible is the right thing to do, but that cannot be at the detriment of the general public and the vulnerable who need access to the helplines to support them with tax matters.

“That’s why ministers have halted this change immediately.”

Following the announcement, chairwoman of the Treasury Select Committee, Harriett Baldwin, said the move to online services should not be “forced on taxpayers”.

HMRC chief executive Jim Harra said: “Making best use of online services allows HMRC to help more taxpayers and get the most out of every pound of taxpayers’ money by boosting productivity.

“Our helpline and webchat advisers will always be there for those taxpayers who need support because they are vulnerable, digitally excluded or have complex affairs.

“However, the pace of this change needs to match the public appetite for managing their tax affairs online.

“We’ve listened to the feedback and we’re halting the helpline changes as we recognise more needs to be done to ensure all taxpayers’ needs are met, whilst also encouraging them to transition to online services.”

The latest statistics show that nearly one million calls went unanswered in January, with the Public Accounts Committee saying that HMRC’s customer service had hit an “all-time low”.