The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union estimated that 14,500 of its members at HM Revenue and Customs took part in Tuesday's 24-hour walkout, saying it caused "significant disruption".
Inquiry lines carried recorded announcements telling people to deal with any problems online, said the union.
HM Revenue and Customs has decided not to issue penalty fines to anyone missing Tuesday's deadline for self-assessment returns, while those filing their returns on February 1 or 2 will also not be fined.
The strike is in opposition to the appointment of two private companies, Sitel and Teleperformance, to run call-handling trials in HMRC tax credit contact centres in Lillyhall in Cumbria and Bathgate in Scotland.
The year-long trials are due to start next month and the union is warning they risk paving the way for privatisation in the department, at a time when tens of thousands of civil service jobs are being cut.
On a picket line in Newcastle upon Tyne, PCS branch secretary Malcolm Smith, said: "People are very angry about this. This is part of a national dispute against the Government's plans to trial private industries to do civil servants' work. It's costing about £4 million to trial this when we are being told to cut costs and cut jobs."
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "The strong support for the strike shows our members do not want their jobs and the essential services they provide undermined by privatisation."
An HMRC spokesman said: "HMRC is not privatising existing HMRC contact centre jobs but we are determined to improve the service we provide to our customers. This means considering a variety of options including drawing on the knowledge and experience of external contact centre operators.
"Industrial action is unwarranted and unnecessary. We are doing everything possible to maintain contact centre services to the public and will continue talking to the unions to address their concerns."
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