HMRC said it will halt the changes admitting 'more needs to be done' to convince the public they are a good idea.
MPs have welcomed 'victory for common sense' after HMRC backed downHM Revenue & Customs humiliatingly dropped plans to shut its phone helpline for the summer today after a furious backlash.
However, it was labelled a 'sick joke' by campaign groups who said pensioners who did not operate online were being told to 'get lost'.HMRC chief executive Jim Harra said today that it will halt phone helpline changes admitting 'more needs to be done' to convince the public they are a good idea '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.'
'Planned changes to the operation of HMRC's phonelines have been mismanaged from the beginning. Questions still remain over the extent to which the department are prioritising its own needs over those of law-abiding and vulnerable taxpayers.The plans had been slammed by accountancy bodies and MPs while the decision has been derided by a taxation charity which has labelled it as 'misguided'.
'Millions of older people are now finding themselves subject to tax because of the personal allowances freeze and they need advice on such issues as annual tax returns. If they are not online, HMRC is saying get lost.' 'We must swim against the current and bring it down so it is 30 per cent lower otherwise cannot meet service standards. Some of that demand is not necessary,' he told the Treasury Committee.
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