HMRC Standard Report 2018-19 inquiry

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority, responsible for collecting tax from individuals and businesses. In 2018-19, HMRC reported a record £627.9bn of tax revenues and paid out £33.8bn in benefits and credits. Compared to 2017-18, total tax revenues were £22.1bn (3.6%) higher. In 2018-19, HMRC achieved a yield of £34.1bn from compliance activity, against a target of £30bn, 12.5% higher than 2017-18. During 2018-19, HMRC missed some key customer service targets for responding to post and telephone calls, where targets had been met in 2017-18. HMRC is undertaking a transformation programme to simplify and automate processes, including building and implementing new systems, as well as being one of the key Whitehall departments preparing for the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Public Accounts Committee regularly looks at the performance of HMRC, based on the National Audit Office’s annual report on HMRC’s systems and performance. This inquiry will consider the department’s overall performance in the past year, progress on delivering change and preparedness for the leaving the EU.