The latest National Audit Office report on HMRC has been deeply critical. The NAO said that the quality of service for personal taxpayers was severely damaged in 2014-15 and the first seven months of 2015-16 after HMRC reduced staff numbers by a third. Some taxpayers were left waiting for more than an hour for advice and for every £1 reduction in HMRC’s annual telephone transaction costs there has been approximately a £4 increase in the time and money spent by customers. Moreover, HMRC met its target to handle 80% of calls in only 10 weeks of the year. 1.6.16
