800YRS ON HOLD

Anger at tax service over callers' wait times

- GRAHAM HISCOTT

CALLERS spent a combined 800 years on hold waiting to speak to tax officials last year, a spending watchdog has revealed.

The National Audit Office today blasts HM Revenue & Customs for letting taxpayers down.

According to the NAO, the average wait time was nearly 23 minutes in the first 11 months of the last financial year a big rise from an average five minutes in 2018/19.