Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
HMRC digital service usage and customer satisfaction have significantly increased since 2015.
Conclusion
HMRC said that approximately 70% of interactions with it are digital.21 Since 2015, it has introduced several digital services, including Personal and Business Tax Accounts, an app, and its flagship Making Tax Digital programme for VAT.22 In 2022–23, customers accessed online Personal and Business Tax Accounts and the HMRC app 199 million times, up from 62 million in 2016–17.23 HMRC said that in many instances digital services provide very high satisfaction rates.24 In 2023–24, 83.1% of customers surveyed reported they were satisfied after using a digital service.25
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.