Bruce Cartwright CA

Bruce Cartwright CA, CEO at ICAS, said: “We’ve been calling for the simplification of the tax system for years and we were disappointed that the Office for Tax Simplification was scrapped a couple of years ago.

“But we’ve also repeatedly called for improvements in the day-to-day performance of HMRC as our members have told us that the customer experience with HMRC has been too poor for too long. Modernising the tax system but also the organisation that is central to its success is long overdue but very welcome.

“What we’ve seen so far of the roadmap signals the journey is headed in the right direction, especially with welcome ambitions to improve digital service for taxpayers and agents. But it still looks more like a wish list than a detailed plan. Crucially, there is a noticeable lack of prioritisation, detail, and timelines.”

Mr Cartwright continued: “This plan reflects what we saw in the government’s spending review last month when an extra £500m funding was agreed to make HMRC a truly digital first organisation, with 90% of customer interactions to be digital self-serve, up from only 70% in 2025.

“It’s essential that people can easily and quickly get the information they need without having to call or write to HMRC.

“What HMRC must avoid however is cutting back on alternative channels, including phonelines and post too quickly. These will still need to be available for those who need them, and in case digital options either don’t work effectively at first or take up isn’t high by the public.

“There will also always be occasions where problems arise, even with improved HMRC digital services, that require taxpayers to contact HMRC to sort them out. There must still be routes that allow people easy access to HMRC when an issue can’t be resolved solely through an online service.”

Mr Cartwright concluded: “ICAS will seek urgent clarification from HMRC on how and when these ambitions will be delivered.

“We’ll also hold HMRC to account to ensure that no existing service channels are withdrawn until replacement digital services are fully operational and meet an acceptable standard, a safeguard not yet clearly reflected in the Roadmap.”