Revenue to axe self-assessment CD

Revenue to axe self-assessment CD

The Inland Revenue is to scrap its self-assessment tax return CD-ROM from April and offer the service online, writes Alex Miller.

According to a memo from Barry Glassberg, the Revenue’s director of e-services, obtained by Accountancy Age, the agency will ‘provide only a pure online web form’. It added: ‘We will not be offering a CD-ROM or downloadable application option.’

The decision to scrap the TaxSaver CD-ROM – produced by Digita – in the new tax year comes as the Revenue attempts to boost the number of e-filing taxpayers. Only 30,000 used the system this year out of about nine million returns issued.

Last year the Revenue courted controversy over TaxSaver after Basda supported Forbes Software, and reported the Revenue to the Office of Fair Trading for ‘anti-competitive action’ after the Revenue allowed Microsoft to provide TaxSaver free to e-filers.

Basda chief executive Dennis Keeling said: ‘This is the move we asked for last year. The problem is the Revenue may already have put people off e-filing with its complicated software. It is the most complicated form I’ve ever seen. It needs to be simplified.’

Jeremy Rihll, Digita director, welcomed the move and said being free from the Revenue would present new opportunities. CD-ROMs will now be offered by the private sector.

Links

Self-assessment fails to attract

Revenue hopes plan will boost e-filing

A copy of the Revenue’s e-business strategy is available on its website.

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