A long-awaited consultation document intended to assess the impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) has been postponed for a third time, after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced today that a date is still yet to be confirmed for its release.
The news comes after the MTD consultation, originally intended for release in April 2016, was previously postponed until after the European Union (EU) Referendum – and then postponed for a second time following the Brexit vote and subsequent Cabinet reshuffle.
The tax authority has said that MTD software is currently at “an advanced stage” and that it aims to “give customers a consistent experience irrespective of the account through which they interact with HMRC”.
However, a date for consultation is still yet to be confirmed.
An HMRC spokesperson has said: “We have been working with a number of software developers to build the links between HMRC systems and the software they are developing that will allow us to start testing that software with customers to ensure it meets their needs.
“As the software develops we will extend it to a larger number of customers through the public beta so that we can be confident it is intuitive and easy to use.
“We will test the best way to do this and use feedback from customers to design the best service,” they added.
HMRC has confirmed that all UK taxpayers will receive online banking-style accounts, which will provide a breakdown of each business’ or individual’s tax status and liabilities.
The scheme is expected to be fully active by April 2018, following the introduction of a ‘public beta’ to be introduced in April next year.
