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Social networking websites enjoyed more UK hits than Google during May, according to the information services provider Experian Hitwise.
The journey to the milestone was led by Facebook – but whatever it is that internet users enjoy about Harvard alumnus Mark Zuckerberg’s invention, it isn’t its British tax content.
I first alluded to this matter on the Taxation blog a couple of years ago, when Facebook was awash with nasty-minded groups like ‘I enjoy paying my taxes so that doleys and immigrants can live the dream!!!’ [sic].
Happily, most of that drivel has been removed, but little content – positive or otherwise – has replaced it. The main reason is, one suspects, that the average age of a British Facebook user is around 33 years old, while the mean age of the common tax adviser, based on Taxation readership, is … well, rather higher.
I don’t think, however, that Facebook should be dismissed just yet. There’s still room for UK tax experts, young or otherwise, among the site’s 400 million users worldwide – but a concerted effort is going to be necessary to provide something of value.
Taxation has long had its own page, which offers visitors updates on news, features, blog entries and reader offers. It’s open for discussions and allows users to post video, images and links.
This, we like to think, has a worthwhile function – especially when compared to nonsense like ‘British taxes should be spent on British people’, or the Revenue’s own page with its three members (at the time of writing).
Your input is required if sensible and thoughtful debate on tax is to have a place on the planet’s most popular social networking site. Why shouldn’t it have a place?
Some decent tax applications are needed, too. The nearest to anything useful at the moment is the simplistic HMRC Tax Refund Calculator. Let’s raise the bar.
