by Jo Bartosch, spiked
Transgender people can access a fast-tracked tax-support service that lets them skip the hold queue. Why?
As a rule, I oppose assisted dying. That is, until the time of year arrives when I have to ring His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. As the calming hold music and passive-aggressive messages reminding me to ‘be kind to staff’ drone on, the will to live slowly leaks out of my ears. The only grain of comfort is that this is a grisly ritual millions of British citizens are forced to endure, and no one is able to jump the queue.
Which is why it came as something of a surprise to learn that there is, in fact, a fast lane through Britain’s tax bureaucracy. Not for the vulnerable. Not for the terminally ill. Not even for the small-business owners keeping the Treasury afloat. No, HMRC’s premium hotline, officially known as Public Department 1 (PD1), is reserved for MPs, royals, celebrities and anyone equipped with a Gender Recognition Certificate.
This toffs and trannies service is, apparently, reserved for ‘taxpayers whose records require greater protection’. Calls are answered roughly twice as fast as those from the pleb queue. HMRC insists the privilege is necessary because users of the PD1 service have restricted access to some digital systems owing to the sensitivity of their records. One might expect this to apply to stalking victims, or those under witness protection – but clearly these groups are not considered as vulnerable as people who claim special gender feelings. Holders of Gender Recognition Certificates have reportedly enjoyed access to the scheme since 2005, when Britain imported a European Court of Human Rights ruling on transgender rights into domestic law.