HMRC delays 'undermine tax system'

HM Revenue and Customs' service has been branded "unacceptable" by the Treasury Select Committee.

A report accused HMRC of "endemic delays" and warned that "if this continues it may undermine respect for the tax system".

HMRC has had a torrid few years since being set up as a joint department. Chaos ensued as a result of merging the computer systems of the former Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise, but blunders have been compounded by poor service and ill-informed staff.

The House of Commons committee urged improvements in eight areas, including better service from contact centres and less reliance on online contact. It said HMRC's "increasing focus on online communication may exclude those without reliable internet access".