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One third of UK taxpayers find self-assessment forms difficult to complete, according to a recent survey, carried out by CommunicateResearch, on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). In response to the survey, John Cullinane, CIOT President, said that the forms and guides reflect how complex the UK tax system is - "In order to simplify the SA forms and guides one first needs to make the system simpler and clearer. Without this any move to making the forms ‘easier’ could in fact lead to people getting their tax return wrong." HMRC publish two tax calculation guides to assist taxpayers, but both of these are also complicated. The research found that 67% of taxpayers polled complete the form themselves and 42% said they found it ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ difficult to understand whether they are paying the right amount of tax. Overall, 89% of people who were polled thought that the tax system should be simplified. John Cullinane added “The CIOT welcomes the acknowledgment in the Budget of the need for simplification. We believe that HM Treasury and HMRC understand this and we wish to continue working with them to achieve this.” Link Chartered Institute of Taxation
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About The Author  Sarah Laing Sarah is a Chartered Tax Adviser. She has been writing professionally since joining CCH Editions in 1998 as a Senior Technical Editor, contributing to a range of highly regarded publications including the British Tax Reporter, Taxes - The Weekly Tax News, the Red & Green legislation volumes, Hardman's, International Tax Agreements and many others. She became Publishing Manager for the tax and accounting portfolio in 2001 and later went on to help run CCH Seminars (including ABG Courses and Conferences). Sarah originally worked for the Inland Revenue in Newbury and Swindon Tax Offices, before moving out into practice in 1991. She has worked for both small and Big 5 firms. She now works as a freelance author providing technical writing services for the tax and accountancy profession. |
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Article Added Tuesday, 08 May 2007 | 871 Hits |
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