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The taxman is ripping people off by making them dial a premium-rate phoneline for advice, a Birmingham MP has warned.

Roger Godsiff (Lab, Hall Green) has written to the new chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs – former Birmingham Council chief executive Lin Homer – demanding an end to the practice.

HM Revenue and Customs offers help and advice for people baffled by the complicated tax regime, such a those who are self-employed or who fill in self-assessment tax returns.

But many of these are expensive 0845 numbers.

The National Audit Office has calculated that taxpayers paid £33 million in call charges while waiting to speak to HMRC between April 2011 and April 2012 and called the practice “unacceptable”.

Mr Godsiff said: “I am receiving an increasing number of complaints from constituents who have tax problems and who either have to wait ages on vastly expensive phone lines or who don’t get through at all.

“With pressure on family budgets from all directions it is unacceptable that individuals should be hit by large phone bills when all they are trying to do is sort out their tax problems.

“I would also add that many of the problems that people face are caused by HMRC themselves and massive reductions in staffing levels.

He continued: “I have asked Lin Homer a number of questions but principally I would like to know how much money HMRC are making out of their current phone tariff and how long people are kept waiting.

“HMRC are not backward in coming forward to trumpet their success in increasing tax revenues, I am not alone in believing that this shouldn’t be on the back of a lousy and expensive phone service, people deserve better.”

Ms Homer was chief executive of Birmingham City Council from 2002 to 2005. She has since held a series of posts including chief executive of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Border Agency.