A cross-party early day motion has been put forward to persuade the government not to go ahead with bringing forward self-assessment tax filing deadlines.

The EDM, put forward yesterday, comprised nine MPs: two from Labour, three from the Lib Dems and four from the Conservatives.

They warned that moving the deadlines forward would lead to more provisional and incorrect returns, which would require manual amendment by HMRC, and rather than spreading workloads would create a 'larger peak at a different time'.

They also called for the government to consult with the tax profession before bringing forward any revised proposal. HMRC is currently discussing the issue with nine professional institutes, including the ICAEW, ICAS and ACCA.

Participants to the EDM included conservative MP Mark Hoban, who is set to chair the new all-party parliamentary group focusing on accounting and business issues.
Other EDM participants included Lib-Dem MP Dr Vincent Cable and Labour MP David Taylor.