The Independent reports that Ministers, top civil servants, and royal family members enjoy expedited access to tax advice via a special HMRC helpline, Public Department 1 (PD1). This preferential service allows VIPs to resolve queries within three minutes, contrasting sharply with the general public's average wait of 18 minutes due to understaffing, leading to millions of abandoned calls. Despite improvements in the service for both groups, the disparity in treatment raises concerns about equity in public services and transparency in governance.
Ministers, top civil servants and members of the royal family are receiving fast-tracked tax advice through a little-known HMRC helpline, it has emerged.
VIP taxpayers are having calls dealt with faster by HMRC (PA Wire) But VIPs with tax queries get through to HMRC in less than three minutes on average using a special helpline known as Public Department 1 (PD1).
Millions with tax queries for HMRC face an average wait time on the phone of 18 minutes, with more than 2 million calls abandoned or cut off altogether in the last six months of 2024 due to a lack of staff.
Wait times fell across the board for VIPs and the public, HMRC figures show, with the average wait in the last half of 2024 at two minutes and 21 seconds.
Collection
[
|
...
]