HMRC will close self-assessment helpline between April and September

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has drawn criticism after announcing permanent changes which include closing the self-assessment helpline for some of the year.

HMRC said changes to helpline services to encourage people to go online first have been successfully trialled over the past year and are being rolled out to become a permanent feature from April 8.

But the chairwoman of the Treasury Select Committee, Harriett Baldwin, said the move to online services should not be “forced on taxpayers”.

She said the revenue body has not yet demonstrated that the department or the public “are ready to make such a monumental change to how they resolve tax issues”.

Ms Baldwin