Royal Family members and senior officials are having their tax queries handled eight times faster than ordinary taxpayers through a special HMRC helpline.
The dedicated service, known as Public Department 1 (PD1), provides preferential treatment to VIPs including ministers and senior civil servants.
While millions of regular taxpayers face lengthy waits to speak with HMRC staff, those using the exclusive PD1 line receive almost immediate attention.
The stark disparity comes as complaints about HMRC's telephone services have reached record levels.
Royal Family members and senior officials are having their tax queries handled eight times faster than ordinary taxpayers through a special HMRC helpline.
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The special helpline is designed for high-earning individuals and senior public officials whose tax affairs are stored separately for security reasons.
In the final six months of 2024, VIPs using the PD1 line waited just two minutes and 21 seconds on average.
By contrast, ordinary taxpayers endured average waits of 18 minutes and 49 seconds.
The most extreme difference occurred in June 2024, when regular callers waited an average of 25 minutes and 15 seconds.
During that same month, PD1 users had their calls answered within one minute and 44 seconds.
The volume of calls also differs dramatically, with 2,847,799 calls from the public in June compared to just 3,333 to the VIP line.
The scale of the problem extends beyond long waiting times for ordinary taxpayers.
Between July and December 2024, more than 2.2 million calls were abandoned or cut off because no staff were available.
Complaints about HMRC's telephone services have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
Official figures show complaints rose from 1,244 in 2018-19 to 8,037 in the most recent tax year.
HMRC has attempted to shift more people towards online services for tax queries.
However, the percentage of customer queries answered through its webchat function was lower than the previous year.
VIPs cannot use the webchat for security reasons, which partly explains why a dedicated phone line exists.
HMRC defends the VIP helpline as necessary for "those who need a greater level of protection due to their identity or job".
Only a small team of staff can access these sensitive records.
The tax authority explained that these individuals have "reduced options to use HMRC's digital services and main helplines".
This creates "an increased need to contact HMRC to resolve their tax enquiries".
The PD1 service operates with a very small team - typically just seven people answering calls.
During busy periods, this increases to nine staff members.
Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats' deputy leader and Treasury spokeswoman, branded the figures "shocking".
PA
The exclusive nature of the service explains the dramatic difference in waiting times compared to public helplines.
Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats' deputy leader and Treasury spokeswoman, branded the figures "shocking".
She criticised the "disparity in service" between the VIP line and public helpline.
"Small businesses and people just wanting to do the right thing and pay their taxes should not be subjected to anxiety-inducing waits," Cooper said.
She argued HMRC should be properly funded to "crack down on tax dodgers" and improve customer service.
HMRC claims it has made significant improvements, with call wait times down by 17 minutes since April 2024.
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The tax authority says it is confident of meeting targets in 2025-26 to handle 85 per cent of calls and answer 80 per cent of correspondence within 15 working days.
The stark contrast in service levels raises questions about fairness in Britain's tax system.
While HMRC pushes ordinary taxpayers towards digital services, VIPs receive rapid personal assistance.
The figures reveal a two-tier system at a time when millions struggle to get basic tax questions answered.With over 2.2 million abandoned calls in just six months, many taxpayers simply give up.
Despite HMRC's promises of improvement, the current reality remains frustrating for most Britons.
