HMRC has launched new online Personal Tax Accounts for UK taxpayers as part of their commitment to developing a fully digital tax service.
The Benefit of PTAs
By mid-December, more than a million customers completing their Self Assessment will be directed to their online Personal Tax Account (PTA).
HMRC say that PTAs will:
- provide a clear and joined-up view of the tax customers pay and the benefits they are entitled to
- enable customers to update their tax details in real time, rather than resubmitting information
- make it easier and more efficient to contact HMRC officials using web chat and virtual assistant services.
Ruth Owen, Director General of Personal Tax, said:
“The launch of Personal tax Accounts is a ground breaking development for HMRC and our customers. Remember when you started banking online? Well, this is the equivalent shift in service for the majority of our customers wanting to do business with us online. We’ll be developing the PTA further so it will become the one place to go for all our customers to do business with HMRC.”
This development of the PTA will take place between now and next May, as the HMRC brings in a new online payment and repayment service, paperless self-assessment tax returns, a new national insurance and state pension service and the integration of the online tax credits service. There will also be improvements to the ‘Check your tax estimate service’ so that customers can look at their tax position a year ahead and back.
‘Making Tax Digital’
HMRC has laid out its full plan for its new digital services in their recently published ‘Making Tax Digital’, which sets out four key aims:
- Tax simplification
- Tax all in one place
- Making tax digital for individual taxpayers
- Making tax digital for businesses.
Speaking at HMRC’s stakeholder conference in London, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke said:
“Giving customers the ability to manage their tax affairs online is our latest step towards a fully digital tax system. This government is determined to revolutionise how we deliver public services and the tax system is no exception.
“By 2020 HMRC will be a world-leading tax administration that is efficient, effective and easier for customers to use, enabled by £1.3 billion of extra investment announced in November’s Autumn Statement.”
Two million businesses are already using digital accounts and every business will have access to one by April next year.
