12% more of us file online
Impressed and amused in equal measure by the announcement today from Stephen Timms @stephenctimms that there has been a 12% increase since last year in people filing their self assessment tax returns online.
6.4 million filed their returns online via the HMRC system … a huge success for their softly softly approach to moving services online …
the fact that amused was that 384,000 left it til 29th January ‘10 to file and some 39,000 filed during what HMRC are referring to as ‘rush hour’ betewen 4-5pm that last Friday before the Sunday 31st January deadline.
To file online you need a key and a personal code … these take about 7 - 10 days to arrive (in the post) from date of registration on the HMRC site, and then you have until midnight on 31st January to file … paper tax returns have to be filed by 31st October.
@marthalanefox the ‘Digital Inclusion Champion’, is a fan of the idea of increasing numbers of Govt services being only available online as a cost saving exercise (huge savings) and also a way of ‘encouraging’ people to realise the benefits of being online …
It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the figures around age group and urban / rural from those returns filed … it would seem that the profile of a self assessment tax filer (if there is such a term) is likely not to be older or socially excluded.
Musings over but congratulations to HMRC on a job well done, as Stephen Timms put it, “More people than ever before are now filing their tax returns online. It’s easier, quicker and HMRC processes your return faster, so any money you’re owed is repaid more quickly. If you haven’t yet made the switch from paper to online, do so, and join the millions who are benefiting already.”
Lets just keep on keeping on to ensure that the digitally excluded or unengaged are part of the millions who are benefiting…
and it is reassuring to know that there are so many other people that leave their tax returns so late!
Twitter addresses to follow:
@marthalanefox
@raceonline
@stephenctimms
@dc10plusnetwork