The company is taking action in support of businesses and individuals
TaxAssist Accountants has launched a petition urging increased investment in HMRC services, in response to the struggles faced by businesses and individuals in obtaining adequate support.
HMRC is now redirecting queries to its digital services during the self-assessment helpline closure until 4 September, further raising concerns regarding significant delays affecting taxpayers and businesses. Reports highlight prolonged processing times for repayment claims due to underinvestment, as well as extended wait times of over an hour for urgent enquiries.
Andy Gibbs, head of group technical at TaxAssist Accountants, says: ‘Such delays are unacceptable as they impact on many of our clients, who are frustrated by HMRC hold ups. Despite MPs promising to look into this, we hope our petition will prompt them to debate HMRC’s resources and help find a viable solution to help taxpayers and, in turn, the UK’s economy.
‘The HMRC service dashboard and improvements to the “where’s my reply” service are steps in the right direction but members of the public and accountants face challenges and need HMRC to invest in customer service provision.’
ACCA has supported calls for investment in HMRC services, the lack of which has severely affected service standards and taxpayer compliance.
The petition needs to reach 10,000 signatures to receive a government response and 100,000 to trigger a debate in Parliament. To join the debate and support this initiative, please sign the petition.