HMRC going digital – a blessing or a curse?

HMRC have recently received an investment of £200 million into their digital online services. “Good for them”, I hear you say! But what will this change mean for you, the taxpayer? Is it all good news?

Whisperings amongst the pessimistic out there suggest that the agent or the taxpayer will in fact have more work to do and HMRC are merely passing the buck back down the line to save on costs. This isn’t necessarily the case, as clients and agents are also utilising technology more themselves to streamline work and slicken routines so that time and resources can be spent wisely. However, as HMRC become increasingly more digital they could have little more to do than check tax returns. With a reduced team and as tasks are made redundant, could it be only a matter of time until their resources are reallocated onto compliance checks? The plus side It’s not all doom and gloom though. For our part, Figurit will use the increasing range of HMRC’s digital services to your advantage. We can tap into their online system and with the added information available to us we can keep an even closer eye on your tax affairs and continue to maximise tax planning opportunities. In addition, our existing internal quality control policies and the insurance we provide against the costs of investigation, will keep you protected as best as possible from the consequences of idle hands!