Freelancers' Shop

HMRC’s customer satisfaction survey gives mixed results

by Susie Hughes at 16:16 13/10/14 (News on Business)

HM Revenue and Custom's (HMRC) latest customer satisfaction survey with tax payers, accountants and SMEs has delivered a mixed result, indicating the organisation may have further to go if it is to fulfil its 2015 customer service targets, according to Bloomsbury Professional, a tax and accounting information group.

The annual satisfaction survey showed an improvement in taxpayers’ perception of HMRC’s trustworthiness, honesty and integrity, as well as in its effectiveness in protecting personal and business information. Sixty-five per cent of accountants and 79 per cent of SMEs surveyed regarded HMRC as trustworthy, up from just 61 per cent and 74 per cent in the previous year. The proportion of people saying that they feel HMRC acts with honesty and integrity has also increased. Three quarters of accountants now believed HMRC acts honestly, up from 68 per cent in 2012/13, while trust from taxpayers remained consistently high at 73 per cent over the last two years. Collecting The survey also showed a sharp decrease in the perception that HMRC is better at collecting tax than repaying it. This year, only 41 per cent of taxpayers and 36 per cent of SMEs believed this to be the case, down from 59 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in 2010/11. Martin Casmir, Managing Director at Bloomsbury Professional said: “High profile crackdowns on aggressive tax avoidance schemes used by high net worths and celebrities have really boosted public support for HMRC in the last year. They have helped counteract the perception that HMRC has previously focused excessively on ordinary tax payers. “It’s also a coup for the organisation that the suspicion that it is better at collecting tax than repaying it is fading slightly." Weaker However, the survey identified some areas where HMRC’s performance may be getting weaker. Advertisement Official targets announced by HMRC earlier this year state that by March 2015, it hopes to answer 90 per cent of telephone calls received, as well as reply to 80 per cent of letters within 15 working days. However, the survey found that accountants, SMEs and customers are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the ‘ease of getting in touch with HMRC’. Only 70 per cent of SMEs think HMRC was easy to contact, down from 80 per cent in 2009/09, similarly, just 63 per cent of customers thought HMRC to be easily contactable, down from 75 per cent in 2008/09. Martin Casmir said: “HMRC is under pressure to do more with less. This is resulting in frontline staff suffering increased workloads and getting more concerned over waiting times. It’s a real challenge for HMRC to meet customer service targets when it has had to cut back on staff.” Bloomsbury added that since 2005, 34,000 jobs have gone from HMRC and another 10,000 are planned by 2015 under the Government's spending cuts. Communicating The survey also found that fewer customers, accountants and SMEs consider HMRC to be communicating effectively, and keeping them adequately informed of the progress of their query. A record low proportion of accountants, just over half, felt that HMRC keep them informed, falling from 63 per cent in 2008/09. Just three quarters of SMEs feel HMRC keeps them adequately up-to-date, down from 82 per cent in 2008/09. Mr Casmir said: “The survey is aimed at helping HMRC fine tune its service to customers. With communication so clearly highlighted as a key area for improvement, customers should expect a better service in the coming year.” Tweet -- If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'. - Susie Hughes © Shout99 2014

Printer Version

Copyright 1999-2018, Shout99.com | All Rights Reserved
Privacy Notice and Terms of Use