HMRC to Shut Down All Enquiry Centres

All 281 of HMRC’s enquiry centres are to close by 2014.

The centres give face to face advice to around two and a half million tax payers and their closures will affect 1,300 jobs.

A flexible telephone service is to be introduced to replace the enquiry centres, while visits will be arranged to alternative locations including taxpayer’s homes and business premises. HMRC say the change will save travel time and will save £13 million in costs.

The number of people visiting enquiry centres has fallen from five million in 2006 to two and half million in 2012.

Tax office chief executive Lin Homer said: HMRC is dedicated to providing help to customers who need it. This new service will enable us to tailor that help in a way that works better for customers and is more flexible and affordable than the service we currently provide.
“We will give a more specialised phone service for customers whose affairs can be resolved over the telephone, and face-to-face help to those who need it, visiting them at a place convenient to them, saving them both travel and time. HMRC will provide a more modern and accessible service that will target the right support to customers who need it, where and when they want it.”