Bean counters call for closer taxman web scrutiny

UK accountants are calling for greater scrutiny of the Inland Revenue's online tax filing system.

The move is part of a wider request from the Tax Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) for an independent body to monitor online services offered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The recommendation has been put to Lord Carter, who is currently reviewing HMRC's online services for a pre-budget report due in November.

The government is currently encouraging people to file returns online but earlier this year the Inland Revenue ran into difficulties with system overloads during peak times.

Paul Aplin, deputy chairman of the Institute's Tax Faculty, said in a statement: "There remains considerable potential for online services in the UK tax system but we believe that the barriers and drivers to take-up have still not been fully understood by HMRC.

"We believe that to ensure sustainable and efficient service delivery, an independent body similar to the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee in the USA, should be established."

Aplin said that the HMRC's progress on online strategy should be monitored to prevent "flawed services" in "unrealistic timescales".

"We oppose mandatory e-filing. It must also be understood that not all taxpayers and businesses have access to IT or to broadband," he said. "Forcing taxpayers and agents to e-file using inadequately designed and tested services with insufficient capacity creates considerable resentment, whereas an alternative and inclusive approach could work well for agents, taxpayers and HMRC."