Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
HMRC continues receiving millions of calls despite digital-first ambition and roadmap plans.
Conclusion
HMRC has been working to become a ‘digital-first’ organisation since 2010 and hopes to replace traditional forms of contact with digital services.13 It said its research shows that 86% of customers say they are willing to deal with HMRC digitally or would prefer to do so.14 Despite this, HMRC still received 36.7 million telephone calls in 2023–24.15 It said it will be publishing a digital services roadmap in Spring 2025 to set out the digital services it is expecting to develop and the investment it needs.16
Government Response Summary
The government agreed with the committee's recommendation to consider HMRC's resourcing as part of the Spending Review to further digitise customer services and enable more customers to self-serve online, and will publish a Transformation Roadmap in 2025 outlining plans to extend digital services and provide better customer service, including digital inclusion and support.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 2.2 The government agrees with recommendation 2a and is currently considering HMRC’s resourcing as part of the Spending Review. Further digitising HMRC’s customer services will enable more customers to self-serve online, which in turn will enable HMRC’s helpline advisers to focus on helping those customers who need support because, for example, they are digitally excluded, are experiencing vulnerable circumstances or due to the complexity of their affairs. HMRC will publish a Transformation Roadmap in 2025 outlining plans to extend digital services and provide better customer service for customers. It will include measures to ensure digital inclusion and support for customers who cannot interact with HMRC digitally. Greater digitisation of HMRC’s services will both improve services for customers and provide better efficiency for the taxpayer.