HMRC is giving trans people access to a VIP tax hotline normally reserved for celebs and the ultra-wealthy, according to reports.

The special tax service provides a dedicated phone for high-profile taxpayers, typically answering calls twice as fast as a normal tax office.

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Transgender people are given access to a special tax service which answers their calls faster Credit: Alphotographic

The Public Department 1 is a tax service for ultra-wealthy and VIP taxpayers who required their records to be given greater protection Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

But transgender people have been given special access to this VIP hotline, reports The Telegraph.

The special tax service, known as “Public Department 1” (PD1), is reserved for specific taxpayers like the Royal family, MPs, or other high profile figures.

It is designed to protect certain people whose identity or job requires greater protection and confidentiality.

Calls to the PD1 are answered faster than those to normal tax offices.

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For people who legally change their gender with a Gender Recognition Certificate, their records have to be restricted by the tax service.

This means that only a small number of officials can access them, giving transgender people “greater protection” under equality laws.

As a normal tax office cannot have access to a transgender person’s records, they are told to contact PD1 for any tax enquiries, giving them a speedier service.

John O’Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a pressure group, added: “Taxpayers will rightly question why individuals with a Gender Recognition Certificate are transferred indefinitely into a separate HMRC unit with specially restricted records, while ordinary taxpayers struggle with long waits and poor service.”

HMRC has frequently faced criticism for inadequate customer service through its phone lines.

Taxpayers have been warned of 45-minute long waiting times before their call is picked up by an adviser.

HMRC has said that the policy is necessary to protect the records of transgender people.

It said that taxpayers using the PD1 services do not have access to some of the tax office’s digital services.

An HMRC spokesman said: “PD1 is not a ‘VIP service’ but a helpline for taxpayers whose records require greater protection and therefore can only be accessed by specialist staff. This can be for a number of reasons.

“Call wait times on our helplines for all customers now average around 10 minutes.”