150 jobs under threat at Welsh tax offices, says HMRC

HMRC has said the growing use of online services reduces the need for staff in tax offices

More than 150 jobs are under threat at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Wales.

The tax office is closing 14 offices across the UK by December 2015, including ones in Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Merthyr Tydfil and Pembroke Dock.

PCS union general secretary Mark Serwotka said the move "makes absolutely no economic sense".

A total of 453 jobs are affected and HMRC said it will help staff look for a new job within the department or elsewhere in the civil service.

As well as workers at the four offices - 27 in Carmarthen, 38 in Colwyn Bay, 34 Merthyr Tydfil and 2 in Pembroke - HMRC is cutting administrative jobs and offering voluntary redundancy to four staff in Porthmadog, 20 in Wrexham and 29 in Cardiff.

Mr Serwotka added: "This political and economic vandalism is even more stark and outrageous when, even by the department's own modest estimate, tens of billions of pounds is lost to our public finances every year, largely through tax evasion and avoidance."

HMRC said the move comes as part of plans to reduce its size and work from fewer locations.

A shift to more digital services is also resulting in the job cuts.

If a new job cannot be found by January 2015, the workers will be offered voluntary redundancy.