Welcome to this monthly Accounting News bulletin from DG Accountancy Services (http://www.businessbods.co.uk) bringing Small Business' news and information from the business world, as it happens!
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
A proposed reduction in staffing levels at MHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) could have an adverse impact on many small businesses, a major lobby group has claimed. The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has raised concerns over plans to cut more than 3,000 Revenue jobs and reduce the number of tax offices across the UK, warning that it may lead to administrative delays for enterprises. According to critics, the cost-cutting measure could bring more misery and confusion to small business owners when they come to submit their 2007-08 Tax Return. Statistics reveal that approximately 150,000 self-assessment forms were received in the 24 hours prior to the deadline last year, with the HMRC website processing around 6,000 submissions every hour – more than 100 per minute. ‘While we can all applaud the cost-cutting exercise, HMRC will need to be careful that the reduction of staff, in particular, does not affect the service offered to smaller businesses,’ said the FPB's Policy Representative, Matt Goodman. ‘The demands of running a small business are enough without waiting weeks for your tax papers to make it to the top of the pile.’
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