A TaxPayers' Alliance investigation has uncovered that the Valuation Office Agency have missed call waiting time targets for the last three financial years. In 2021/22, average call waiting times were 4 minutes and 15 seconds. In 2024/25, the average call waiting time was 9 minutes and 54 seconds. Complaints have also increased during this time; in 2021/22, 762 complaints were made, with 40 per cent being partially upheld. In 2024/25, 2,300 reports of dissatisfaction were made.
Speaking to the Spectator, which published these findings, our investigations campaign manager, Joanna Marchong said:
“Taxpayers were being left on hold while performance at the Valuation Office Agency continued to worsen.
“Waiting times were climbing year after year, and fewer calls are being answered on time; it’s simply not good enough. Folding the VOA under HMRC must be more than a box-ticking exercise.
“Ministers need to ensure this absorption delivers real improvements, not just another layer of Whitehall bureaucracy that is further removed from the taxpayers footing the bill.”
Read the full story here.