News that all tax offices in Wales outside Cardiff are to close by 2021 is a damning indictment of Tory priorities and will lead to huge job losses in Wrexham, Swansea and Porthmadog, according to Plaid Cymru AM Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The closures of HMRC tax offices in Wrexham, Porthmadog and Swansea will leave just the Cardiff office serving Wales, with much of the work for the north being carried out in Liverpool or Telford. The Wrexham office employs about 350 staff, Swansea 300 and the Porthmadog office, which houses HMRC’s Welsh-language call centre, about 20 workers.

Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Economy Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth AM, said:

“These HMRC closures will mean huge numbers of job losses and will be a major blow to Wales’ economy and especially to those hundreds of workers and families directly affected directly by the closures.

“Successive UK Governments over the past decade have been intent on closing tax offices and these latest plans show the complete disregard this Tory government has for Wales.

“These workers in Wrexham, Swansea and Porthmadog cannot be expected to relocate to Cardiff, or move over the border to Telford or Liverpool. Not only will hundreds of people lose their jobs and livelihoods but HMRC’s only Welsh language centre will close. These job losses would also be devastating for local businesses who rely on these workers to spend their wages in the local area.

“This is a damning indictment of Tory priorities – closing tax offices, cutting jobs, when big corporations continue to play the tax system.”