HMRC presses on with online filing of VAT
HMRC is pressing on with campaign to force taxpayers to file VAT online
HM Revenue & Customs
(HMRC) is pressing on with its push to force taxpayers into filing VAT online
by phasing out the pre-paid envelopes which are normally supplied.
‘This is unfortunate timing as HMRC’s recent data loss scandal is still fresh
in everyone’s mind. You would think that they would be a bit more sensitive to
taxpayers’ concerns before they tried to railroad them all into filing online,’
Malcolm Winston, UHY Hacker Young partner,
told The Birmingham Post.
‘There are still quite a few personal and business taxpayers who either don’t
have access to broadband or who are still very nervous about lodging sensitive
financial information online.’
According to HMRC the phasing out of pre-paid envelopes followed the example
of other private and public sector organisations but Winston said this was a
strange comparison. ‘The customer gets to choose which company they deal with
and have the right not to draw on public services,’ he said.
Further reading:
Moira Stuart is the fresh new face of HMRC
tax ads
Read
The Birmingham Post story