Taxation received an enquiry from a reader regarding the delays by HMRC in processing tax repayments on paper self-assessment tax returns.
The suggestion was made that delaying repayments from such returns might be a way of encouraging online filing.
We are pleased to report that HMRC state — categorically — that this is not the case.
The department's explanation of current delays is as follows.
'It is natural that repayments from paper returns take longer particularly at peak times than those from online returns. That is one of the great benefits of filing online — the return data goes straight through to the backend system. So if people want quicker repayments they should file online.
- Categorically there is no policy of delaying repayments on paper returns to drive up online filing.
- Capturing paper self-assessment returns is a priority. But following the new...
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