Oh dear I see that HMRC's new internet service, allowing people to check how their income tax and national insurance is spent, crashed yesterday (its first day).
The site fell over at around midday, after 400,000 people tried to access it.
HMRC told the BBC:
"Our online calculator is extremely busy at this time but a full service is being restored.
The mobile app is unaffected."Seemingly the government describe this as a "Twenty-first century system".
David Gauke must be a tad peeved, as earlier in the day he was proudly boasting about the new service:
"We think it is right that people know how much tax they pay and what the government spends it on.
At the moment, over half of taxpayers do not know how much income tax and national insurance they pay in a year.
Our new tax calculator will allow them to find out, which is a big step towards a more transparent, twenty-first century system."
Tax does have to be taxing.
Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations
What is TAXWISE?
TAXWISE is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.
To find out more, please use this link Taxwise
Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.
Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies
HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
I wonder Ken if you wrote this bit in advance? I would have prophesised this :D
ReplyDeleteKris
The quote "At the moment, over half of taxpayers do not know how much income tax and national insurance they pay in a year."
ReplyDeleteSo, many of these people receive a wage slip and P60 - which includes their pay and, quelle surprise, the tax deducted. HMRC have been telling people for years to check their wage slips to make sure the correct code, based on what has been issued, is being used.
This is a service (wait for the guffaws!!) by HMRC to allow the masses to do what we've been encouraging them to do for years. On top of that, one can assume that a small percentage of the people trying to use it, so far, are paying an agent for the privilege!!
As for what the tax is spent on... (I haven't been able to access the site either so can't really comment on the "results") but it is nigh on impossible to say that £xx of your tax was spent on bombs, £xx on roads, £xx on the NHS... because they can't. It all goes in to 1 central pot and is dished out.
It *is* a "twenty-first century system"...but only if you're Orthodox Jewish.
ReplyDeleteit's back up today. I see there is an unspecified 'other' which is larger than some of the categories on there.
ReplyDeleteI am so concerned about this many millions not explained that I have sent the print-out to my MP and asked him if he can tell what the mystery amount is spent on...
Keep them busy.
Kris
@30/5/12 10.53
ReplyDeleteProbably the cost of MPs answering questions ;)