THE FIGURES showing how successful iXBRL corporation tax filings have inadvertently led to a dispute over the numbers.

From 1 April all corporation tax had to be filed online using iXBRL which highlights information to make financial data easier to compare.

Figures published today on Accountancy Age, sourced from Iris, Sage and HMRC, show the success rate and the number of filers using their software.

There is a dispute over HMRC's success rate, which a certain accountancy software house claims is 76%%. However the taxman is saying 94%

A debate is also brewing that 'not all tax filing software is created equally', skewing the figures' comparability.

Some suppliers can provide full tagging requirements of more than 5,000 tags - while others meet the minimum of around 3,000, which technically means those filed at the lower end are 'easier' to submit.

Today's debate has illustrated the stregth of feeling around wanting to show that their software can do the business.

However, this is just a reflection of the first month. Almost a third of corporation tax is filed towards the end of the year. I believe the proof could be in eating a Christmas pudding.

HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS claims it has listened to the concerns and revised the implementation timetable of new PAYE technology. But in my opinion, it's not much of a revision and more half-a-job.

The taxman wants to create technology for businesses to submit real-time PAYE information on all employees. Eventually there will be no need for printed p60s or p45s - which to me is only a good thing.

However, software and banking representatives were crying out for an extension to a very tight deadline set by HMRC, which didn't allow a full tax year to pilot the new system.

The taxman claims it has now revised the timetable so existing technology can be updated rather than phased out immediately as previously stated.

A computer-to-computer transmission service known as EDI (used by lots of UK companies) was due to be put down in October 2013. BACS, and the internet, were going to be the only methods of sending PAYE data to the taxman.

Now HMRC has extended EDI's lifetime until at least 2014, if it is updated. But companies will have to move to BACS or the internet at a later date.

So to get this straight...

That's sort of like saying to people you can either spend money giving your current car a spray job, and buy a new one in a year or so; or you can buy a new car now, which hasn't been properly road-tested. Either way you'll probably be out of pocket, and hoping you've made the right choice.

SIX ACCOUNTANCY INSTITUTES have gone above HMRC's head and taken their request to delay an internet tax filing technology iXBRL directly to the Treasury.

Many may have already read that the ICAEW, ACCA, CIoT, AAT, ATT and ICAS wrote a letter to David Gauke, secretary to the Treasury, asking him to delay the iXBRL deadline by six months.

From 1 April all corporation tax must be filed to HMRC using the new data-tagging technology.

The argument to delay introduction has been raging between advisers and the taxman for more than a year. Going above HMRC's head however, could have advantages for the private sector.

It is hoped that the coalition government may take the view iXBRL is compliance red tape, introduced by the previous government. The new government has pledged to reduce this complexity.

The campaigners are only asking for half of the iXBRL requirements to be delayed. A tax return includes both accounts and tax data. The private sector is asking for just the accounts information to be filed without using iXBRL technology, for another six months. HMRC doesn't really use that information so what could be the harm?

The accounts information is mainly utilised by Companies House users and it hasn't mandated filing using iXBRL technology until 2013.

This politically could be an easy decision for Gauke. It would keep the accountancy profession happy while cutting red tape for businesses.