Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that local tax offices are based in town centres.

HMRC are committed to their strategy, announced in 2015, of moving to 13 regional centres, all within Government hubs, in city centre locations where the majority of their staff are already based. This is key to HMRC’s and wider Government’s transformation and is aligned with the Places for Growth Programme.

Customer services will not be reduced by the closure of offices. HMRC had already closed their enquiry centres in 2014. Currently almost all business customers deal with the department online and, in 2020, 94 per cent of Self-Assessment returns were filed digitally. In addition to dealing with enquiries by telephone, HMRC have set up an Extra Support Team, providing assistance to taxpayers who need extra help. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, HMRC are unable to offer face to face appointments at this time, but they continue to serve taxpayers through other communication channels. Evidence from customer satisfaction survey results confirms that taxpayers, particularly those who would have satisfied the criteria for a face to face appointment, are happy with these alternative services.