HMRC has been forced into a rapid U-turn after revealing plans to shut its self-assessment helpline, and other phone services, for six months of the year. Such was the public outcry that people would be left at the mercy of an online bot that the brakes were slammed on proposals to allow time for more ‘discussion’. Jim Harra, HMRC’s chief executive, said it recognised more needed to be done to ensure taxpayers’ needs are met while ‘encouraging them to transition to online services’. Adding – ‘The pace of this change needs to match the public appetite for managing their tax affairs online’. In …
