The taxman has rejected claims that it will charge self-assessment taxpayers for the use of its tax return filing software.

Only users of some third-party software programs currently pay for the service, with the government picking up the tab for the development of HM Revenue & Customs’ software.

There has been speculation from some tax advisers in recent weeks that the government might move to level the playing field.

But HMRC insisted it wanted to ensure that there was no barrier to self-assessment taxpayers filing their returns.

HMRC said in a statement: ‘We do not charge, nor currently have any intention of charging, for the use of our self-assessment software. We encourage our customers to file online and believe that offering the appropriate software free of charge helps encourage this.’