Reform UK proposes £30 tax credit for callers held over 30 minutes by HMRC
Reform UK says anyone who waits more than half an hour on an HMRC phone line would receive a £30 reduction on their tax bill.
At a media briefing in central London, Reform UK declared that callers kept on hold by HM Revenue and Customs for more than 30 minutes would qualify for a £30 credit against their tax liability, with a maximum of two credits per tax year. The party's economy spokesman said the measure would incentivise better service and announced plans to tie the remuneration of senior HMRC managers to performance against these targets.
The move comes after a Public Accounts Committee report cited thousands of taxpayers being disconnected after hour-long waits and warned that HMRC's handling of callers erodes confidence in the tax system. Reform also pledged to scrap existing privacy regulations, replacing the GDPR-derived framework with a "light-touch" model based on New Zealand's law. Labour criticised the plan as undermining essential data safeguards. HMRC has been asked to comment on the proposals.
Why it matters
It could change how taxpayers are treated by the tax authority and affect future data-privacy rules.
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