The price of late-filed returns and failure to pay tax on time
HMRC’s increased reliance on digital
Almost one-third of a million taxpayers will receive self assessment (SA) reminders before the end of the month.
HMRC are sending 650,000 emails ahead of the 31 January deadline to people who are yet to file their returns online or pay the tax owed.
The messages follow the launch of the Revenue’s fully digital SA service that provides real-time digital alerts with direct links to returns, guides and tools on GOV.UK. More than 670,000 individuals have already opted to go paperless next year, according to tax officials.
Z Hegedus (TC4142)
HMRC’s civil penalty system is working in line with its objectives but cannot be shown to be encouraging positive behavioural change in taxpayers, according to the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS).
The announcement follows a short research project by the office that focused on inconsistencies in the application of the fines and found them to be appropriate for the increasingly digitised nature of the tax system.
R and A Heler (TC4014)
HMRC plan to make even greater use of technology
Taxpayers reported almost 75,000 scam emails in six months earlier this year, marking a massive increase in known phishing attempts by tax fraudsters.
HMRC was notified of 74,743 scam messages between April and September: a 70% rise on the equivalent period in 2013.
The Revenue worked with other law enforcement agencies over the same months to close more than 4,000 websites responsible for sending the emails, which promised a tax refund in return for the recipient’s name, address, date of birth, bank and credit card details.
Open and closed issues in summary
HMRC are set to launch a test version of their latest web tool for tax advisers, as the department continues to ramp up its digital services.
The offering known as agent online self-serve (AOSS) will be made available by the end of the year to volunteers, to provide access to details of employer PAYE clients’ tax liabilities and payments.
Users will experience:
HMRC’s have moved all of their self assessment (SA) guidance to the GOV.UK domain, as part of the ongoing migration of information from the Revenue’s own site.
The department has pledge to “make sure nothing gets lost during this transition”, and bookmarked links will automatically redirect to a page on either the government web hub or, in cases of outdated details, the National Archives site.