Data obtained by The Telegraph in a freedom of information request revealed that so far this year, 179 tax office workers have been sacked for serious breaches of workplace conduct, an increase of 43% since 2020.

This is the highest number in at least five years, The Telegraph said, citing figures it obtained in the FOI.  

Gross misconduct is behaviour so serious that it can warrant instant dismissal. Examples include bullying, theft, intoxication, damage to company property, gross negligence or other behaviours that could harm the organisation.

At HMRC, it could include the unlawful disclosure of sensitive taxpayer information or fraud undertaken using company systems.

Earlier this year, a tax office worker was jailed for two years and four months after abusing her role to defraud the taxpayer out of £300k in child benefit, The Telegraph reported.

The 179 workers fired for gross misconduct in 2024 made up over half of all 321 dismissals at HMRC, which employs over 65,000 staff. But in 2020, only 28% (125) of all dismissals (441) were for gross misconduct, The Telegraph said.

The Telegraph quoted Steve Sweetlove, of accountancy firm RSM, as saying: “On the face of it, an uptick in dismissals for gross misconduct could be seen as a troubling trend but it may highlight that a firmer stance is being taken by HMRC in staff disciplinary matters.

“Given the vital role HMRC staff play in dealing with taxpayer data and collecting revenues for the government, cases of gross negligence can represent a really serious issue so it’s important that appropriate action is taken where necessary.

“HMRC is set to receive more funding to recruit additional staff so it will be crucial that support is in place to help staff with training new recruits so they appreciate the standards of conduct expected of them.”

It comes as customer service at the tax office is at an “all-time low” as it struggles to cope with the rising taxpayer population. HMRC answered only 66% of customers’ calls last year against a target of 85% and down from 71% in 2022-23.

Demand for its services has surged as taxpayers have been moved into higher rates of tax due to frozen thresholds.

At the start of this year the Public Accounts Committee concluded HMRC’s service levels were at an all-time low after it received an “unprecedented” number of written submissions about the tax office’s poor performance.

The Telegraph quoted an HMRC spokesman as saying: “All large organisations will face occasional issues with staff behaviour, and we take all allegations seriously to ensure we work in an inclusive environment that is friendly, tolerant and respectful.

“All our employees must ensure they follow our code of conduct alongside the civil service code, with breaches looked into and if necessary investigated, potentially resulting in dismissal.”

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