A critique of the self-assessment regime

In this article I will focus on the self-assessment system and tax documents which frequently lack information and clarity to enable the completion of a tax return with relative ease (especially by the unrepresented taxpayer). I will also discuss HMRC forms and other areas which are an integral part of the tax system to help taxpayers/agents at a practical level.

Self-assessment deadline of 31 January

According to HMRC 12 million taxpayers were required to file a 2021 tax return. Based on statistics at the beginning of January 2022 six million tax returns were outstanding – a staggering number. Thankfully the filing extension to 28 February 2022 reduced the number to about 1.3 million.

The question then arises as to why so many individuals fail to submit a tax return on time. Experience suggests that more than half of these are taxpayers whose tax affairs are straight-forward yet...