Let me tell you something about the British people: you can cut their local government services to the bone, send NHS waiting lists soaring, even let prisoners out early to ease overcrowding. But don't you dare close down HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC) telephone helpline for parts of the year. This we will not stand for.
In one of the odder announcements (and faster U-turns) of the year, plans to reform HMRC services – which would have seen the self-assessment, VAT and PAYE helplines closed between April and September – with callers directed to use online services, have been put on hold. This followed pressure from the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, as well as criticism from the Chartered Institute of Taxation and Federation of Small Businesses.
