Today is the deadline by which taxpayers have to submit their Self Assessment tax returns. For many this means hours slumped over a calculator and a mountain of receipts trying to decipher complicated forms and then, after all that, handing over their hard-earned cash to settle the year’s tax bill.
According to consumer magazine Which?, out of 4,000 people asked to answer true or false questions about the process, only three got them all right. On average it takes 2.5 hours to complete a tax return. But worryingly it takes over 5 hours for one in ten people. It's no wonder so many dread doing their tax return.
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Readers may recall that back in the mid-2000s, HMRC ran a series of award-winning ads which parroted the line that “tax doesn’t have to be taxing”. Yet over a decade later it is clear many still feel that tax is taxing.
That's why the TPA is calling on the Office for Tax Simplification and HMRC to make both the process and the tax code itself simpler. Taxpayers would thank them for it - they could focus greater time and effort on earning more money and consequently, making the nation more prosperous too.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Light at the end of the tunnel?
In recent days environmental protests at Euston station have thrust High Speed 2 back into the spotlight. As protesters braved the cold in makeshift tunnels, many in the media are asking if the country still needs the new railway line in the wake of the pandemic.
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Asked for comment by the BBC's environmental analyst, Roger Harrabin, I explained that the project should have been scrapped long ago and arguments in favour of the project don't pass muster, "Even before the pandemic the economic case for HS2 was incredibly weak. But now that more people are likely to work from home post-covid, demand for rail travel will fall - arguments about increasing rail capacity don't hold water."
The TPA continues to reach tens of millions of Brits on this key issue. We will keep the pressure on the government to think again, stop throwing good money after bad and scrap this white elephant.
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A fair deal for students and taxpayers
The pandemic has been tough for everyone. One group that’s been hit hard are young people, especially students. Following on from our recent exposés of university vice-chancellors enjoying the high life, our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre was approached by The Daily Express to write a comment piece highlighting why students and ultimately taxpayers are getting such a rough deal at the moment.
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Outstanding student loans alone are set to rise to £560 billion by 2050 and it is taxpayers who will be left footing the bill. And as Joe explained unis are not exactly taking good care of their money, "Our research has revealed the number of staff whose pay packets exceed £100,000 has increased by 14 per cent and those over £150,000 by 13 per cent. More than 4,000 university bosses were raking in more than six figures".
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£700k on "political propaganda"
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, suffered a huge backlash this week after spending £700,000 on covid "thank-you letters". According to the Express, the letters were sent to all Scottish households thanking them for following coronavirus restrictions
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Our research director Duncan Simpson was absolutely scathing of this unnecessary expenditure, telling reporter Richard Percival, “Using taxpayers' cash for what looks like propaganda is not on. Providing advice from medical professionals during a pandemic is obviously appropriate, but puff pieces from ministers is not." This money could and should have been spent on frontline healthcare.
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Deciphering the shadow chancellor’s Mais lecture
As policy analyst Jeremy Hutton discusses this week, since 2015 the Conservative Party has not had to worry much about opposition outside of general election campaigns. His analysis of a speech by the shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds to the City of London’s foremost event on banking and finance signalled that the winds of opposition are blowing again.
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He writes, "The shadow chancellor’s speech tried to place a significant distance between itself and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. Questions remain of course, particularly around what levels of tax and spending Dodds would like to see. Her emphasis on value for money is encouraging at the very least. Taxpayers will be watching, waiting and wanting to hear more." Read the full analysis here.
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Stamp duty: support the campaign to unlock homes
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With the Budget just weeks away please sign our petition calling for the rise in the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 to be made permanent. More pressure is being put on the government to extend the deadline of 31st March which risks pushing the property market over the edge.
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A permanent cut in stamp duty will be a boon to many - tax cuts change lives, not just balance sheets. We will take this petition direct to the Treasury so please ask your friends and family to sign it too.
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Parish payday
A big thank you to supporters that sent in examples of parish and town councils wasting taxpayers' money. Writing for ConservativeHome this week I questioned how these authorities are using our money and why so many borrow large sums from the Public Works Loan Board - between 2015 and 2020 alone they borrowed more than £106.5 million.
The average parish council precept is £69.89 but there is no cap on increases at this level of local government - some parish precepts will more than double this year. Whilst I am confident that the vast majority of town and parish councils are well run, it does seem that more scrutiny is needed. Click here to read more.
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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