Policy News Journal - 2015-16

Next week, and for the same reasons, HMRC will be announcing changes to penalties incurred for sending real time PAYE information late.

HMRC to improve customer service 26 June 2015

On the day that call handling statistics for 2014-15 are published HMRC have confirmed that 3,000 additional staff are set to join customer service teams in a bid to improve call handling performance.

£45 million is to be allocated from the current spending settlement to cover the cost of paying for the recruitment of 3,000 additional staff this year and for allocating around 2,000 staff from other HMRC business areas which is being made possible following investment in new telephone equipment, which allows HMRC to switch calls to other offices, not just take them in contact centres, so that more staff can help at the busiest times.

Call handling statistics for 2014-15 reflect variable month by month results but over the year and of the 64,782,747 call attempts only 72.5 percent of calls were answered with 7,244,652 calls receiving busy tone.

Lin Homer, HMRC Chief Executive, has accepted that standards had not been good enough and said:

“Good customer service is an absolute priority for HMRC. We set ourselves the target to answer 80 per cent of calls, to provide a more consistent level of service across the year and to reduce peaks and troughs in service levels between busy and quieter times.”

Previous CIPP News

CIPP quick poll results - 12 May 2015

New style of email message from HMRC 29 June 2015

If you subscribe to HMRC Business Help and Support Emails, be aware that from 1 July 2015 they will be issuing emails using a new look format.

Emails issued from HMRC Business Help and Support after 1 July 2015 will show that they are from:

HMRC Business Help and Support Emails no.reply@advice.hmrc.gov.uk

HMRC's Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15 21 July 2015

HMRC collected a record £517.7 billion in tax in 2014-15, an increase of £12 billion on the previous year, as a result of economic growth and the continued crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance.

HMRC has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15 , together with the Tax Assurance Commissioner’s Annual Report.

The Annual Report and Accounts highlights that HMRC:

CIPP Policy News Journal

25/04/2016, Page 203 of 453

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