Self employed hampered by tax hurdles

 Self-employed hampered by tax hurdles

HMRC has been accused of placing "hurdle after hurdle" in the way of the self-employed as the self-assessment deadline looms. The FSB has called for HMRC to exercise flexibility around the deadline, warning that it has been unusually difficult to file returns this year. This is partly due to the fact that people are no longer able to spread tax payments by paying their bill on a personal credit card, while the option to pay self-assessment bills at post offices has also been removed. Experts have warned that reducing the number of ways in which bills can be paid will mean more people are likely to be hit by fines for missing the deadline. Meanwhile, HMRC expects more than 93% of self-assessment tax returns to be filed by the deadline, as people are increasingly sending details online. Of the 11.8m returns issued, 8.2m have been received so far - 153,917 more than those at this stage last year.

Source:   The Times (29/01/2018)