Robert Jenrick, the Treasury spokesman for the Reform UK party, has proposed a tax credit for business owners facing long HMRC phone delays [1].
The plan aims to force the tax office to improve its service speed for small businesses by creating a financial penalty for inefficiency [1].
Under the proposal, business owners would receive a £30 tax credit [3] if they are kept on hold with HM Revenue and Customs for more than 30 minutes [2]. Jenrick said the measure is intended to compensate entrepreneurs for their lost time and incentivize the government to streamline its telephone services [1].
Small business owners often rely on direct communication with the tax office to resolve complex filing issues. Long wait times can lead to productivity losses and administrative stress for those managing sole proprietorships or small firms.
The proposal targets the specific frustration of telephone queues, a recurring complaint for those interacting with the UK's tax authority. By linking service performance to a direct tax rebate, Reform UK suggests a mechanism to hold the agency accountable for its operational delays [1].
While the proposal has been announced by the party's Treasury spokesman, it remains a policy suggestion rather than active legislation. The implementation of such a credit would require significant changes to how HMRC tracks call duration and processes tax rebates for individual callers [1].
Reform UK has positioned this move as part of a broader effort to reduce the bureaucratic burden on the private sector. The party said the current state of public service delivery hinders economic growth by wasting the time of business leaders [1].
“Business owners would receive a £30 tax credit if they are kept on hold with HM Revenue and Customs for more than 30 minutes.”
This proposal represents a shift toward 'performance-based' public service delivery, where the government pays citizens for administrative failure. If adopted, it would create a direct financial incentive for HMRC to increase staffing or improve digital routing to avoid costly payouts, though it would also introduce a new layer of verification for call durations.
