02 Feb Hold the line caller
For our tax clients, you might have heard us grumble about under-staffing at IRD and how that slows down the work we do for you. It transpires that 700,000 calls didn’t even make it into the queue to talk to someone (about 40% of the calls) and that 181,000 were disconnected after getting into the queue but before speaking to someone.
Unfortunately, IRD find themselves in the firing line again, with news that they are looking at contracting 500 staff via a recruitment agency. This equates to roughly 10% of staff (not including those currently working on contract via recruitment agencies).
We don’t think this is such a flash idea for a few reasons. First off, we see on a very regular basis the mistakes that are being made by an under pressure, under skilled workforce meaning that the wrong information is going out to individuals and businesses who are playing by the rules. We also think this is an expensive way of IRD getting to show that it has reduced its staff numbers in line with it’s measures around their new computer system, without actually reducing headcount – their “staff” numbers will shrink because contractors aren’t counted as staff. Or put more simply, it will look politically good, even if it costs us – the tax payers – more money.
