Tax deadline-day chaos forecast as HMRC staff strike

Around 20,000 HMRC staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are planning a 24-hour walkout in protest at a planned private sector takeover of the Revenue's call centres. The union fears staff who will be re-employed by private sector contractors will cut pay by up to £3,000 for some employees and make many more redundant. David Wilson, associate director of VAT at Baker Tilly, said the annual rush to file online tax returns by midnight on 31 January will be worsened by the staff shortages. Last year, 570,000 people filed their tax return online on the...