Yt negotiations | This is how the Tax Administration’s savings can hit citizens: Branches are closed and the queue for the telephone service gets longer

Tax Administration the cooperation negotiations started are almost inevitably also reflected in the service the citizens receive. This is what the president of the Association of Tax Officials thinks Tuija Mäkelä. Liitto is the largest professional and advocacy organization of the Tax Administration.

The Tax Administration said on Tuesday that it will start cooperation negotiations, which will involve 900 officials working in taxation and administrative tasks. The negotiations may lead to the termination of a maximum of 200 employment relationships.

According to Mäkelä, the possible layoffs can be aimed at a wide range of employees working in customer service tasks to front-line and manager-level positions.

“In all the changes, the aim is to ensure that tax collection does not decrease and that tax control remains of good quality,” says Mäkelä.

According to him, there is a “very high risk” of customer service deteriorating.

“After all, the Tax Administration has now made decisions in August about the closure of offices, which also leads to the deterioration of customer service. The journeys are longer and in the future you will have to wait much longer at the phone service.”

From the message sent by Mäkelä, it appears that by the end of August, the Tax Administration terminated the leases of its offices in Iisalmi, Ivalo, Järvenpää, Kemi, Kittilä, Kuusamo, Nurme, Porvoo, Savonlinna and Ylivieska.

The offices are closed when the leases expire. This should lead to additional annual savings of approximately one million euros.

Generally Mäkelä describes the mood as incredulous and disappointed. This is the first time that the Tax Administration has started such extensive cooperation negotiations.

“That’s what the general manager just said, and those who have worked for us for a long time, who have worked for more than 40 years, say that this has never happened,” says Mäkelä.

According to the tax administration, cooperation negotiations are initiated for reasons related to production and the organization of operations.

Director general Markku Heikura says in the announcement of the Tax Administration that certain tasks have decreased due to, among other things, automation, reshaping of working methods and reorganization of the organization.

The start of negotiations is also partially affected by the decrease in the appropriations of the Tax Administration. Due to the state administration’s savings, the Tax Administration will have to adapt its operations by at least 60 million euros by the end of 2027, the release states.

Juko, the public sector’s trained negotiation organization, says in its press release that extensive staff reductions endanger citizens’ right to equal service under the law.