Online self-assessment tax filing up 40% on last year
Number of self-assessment tax returns filed online breaks 2m barrier, with several days to go until deadline
More than two million self-assessment online tax returns have been filed,
beating last year’s figure with a week still to go to the deadline.
About 2.1 million self-assessment returns have been received online by
HMRC up to 21 January. The taxman had
predicted a 30% increase in online filing this year, however, some have
predicted even higher figures.
So far the total represents a 40% increase in last year’s figure at the same
point.
ICAEW deputy chairman Paul Aplin said that
people used the internet for most aspects of their lives, and this was reflected
in the growing popularity of online filing.
Aplin also said that HMRC’s systems had performed well in online
self-assessment filing last year, and other barriers to online filing – such as
the inability to create attachments to send further information – had been
removed.
‘The overall feeling is that – touch wood – they’ve built in capacity, and it
seems more robust,’ he said.
Further reading:
Strike to hit 31 January self-assessment
filing deadline