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1303332

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions guidance on the taxation of (a) individuals and (b) businesses on the Government website has been updated in each of the last 30 months.
	tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
	tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
	uin	170619
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not recorded in the format requested and it is not possible to calculate the requested figures from the data that is held.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on gov.uk is regularly updated, including in relation to covid support schemes.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/03/2021 11:44:34 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1303333

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the process is for updating guidance on the taxation of (a) individuals and (b) businesses on the Government website; and if he will outline the respective roles of (i) HMRC and (ii) the Government Digital Service.
	tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
	tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
	uin	170620
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>The process for updating guidance on the taxation of individuals and businesses on the Government website (GOV.UK) is the same. Specialist content designers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Government Digital Services (GDS) work with HMRC’s policy, technical and operational specialists to take the technical and policy intent and present it as guidance that meets the needs of GOV.UK users.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC own the factual accuracy of all of their guidance and can update independently, without consulting GDS, the vast majority of their guidance on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>A small proportion of HMRC’s guidance on GOV.UK is administered by GDS directly. This is generally the most commonly used guidance, designed for members of the public (or small to medium-sized businesses) who may have little or no experience on a given topic. GDS follow strict guidelines to make sure that Government information is consistent across departments, accessible and understandable to all. GDS own the words and user experience of the guidance they directly administer and HMRC own and assure the factual accuracy.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/03/2021 13:25:29 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1248329

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the costs to businesses of interfacing their accounting software with HMRC in compliance with reguirements for the digitisation of reporting.
	tabling member constituency	New Forest West
	tabling member printed	Sir Desmond Swayne
	uin	110718
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The costs incurred in the move to digital record keeping and reporting through Making Tax Digital (MTD) will vary from business to business, and are dependent on factors such as business size, complexity, degree of digital capability and the cost and functionality of the software used. There are free software products available for businesses with the simplest affairs.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC’s early estimates published on 21 July anticipated that businesses will incur costs of, on average, £175 to make the transition to MTD, with about £20 a year in additional continuing costs. HMRC have since undertaken significant engagement with representative bodies within both the business and accountancy worlds, as well as software developers, in order to further understand the associated costs of future MTD mandation. These costs represent an investment that will yield dividends in terms of increased productivity and turnover. HMRC are working with these bodies in order to ensure estimates are accurate and will do all they can to minimise costs. A new publication with revised estimates will be published in due course.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/11/2020 16:08:23 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne

1228019

	registered interest
	date	27/07/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Making Tax Digital programme on the productivity of the self-employed.
	tabling member printed	Lord West of Spithead
	uin	HL7410
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/08/2020 answer text <p>The Government expects the Making Tax Digital programme to have a positive impact on the productivity of self-employed businesses, as set out in the Financial Secretary to the Treasury’s written ministerial statement on 21 July (HCWS400) and HMRC and HM Treasury’s publication “Building a trusted, modern tax administration” of the same date.</p><p>About 1.4 million businesses, some of whom are self-employed, have already joined Making Tax Digital (MTD) for their VAT affairs and many of these are already experiencing productivity gains associated with more digital ways of working, as set out in HMRC’s Evaluation of the MTD for VAT service published in March.</p><p> </p><p>The Enterprise Research Centre (2018) found that for micro-businesses, web-based accounting software delivered productivity increases of over 10%.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 10/08/2020 14:30:03 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3834 label Biography information for Lord West of Spithead

1227865

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have in place for anyone (1) without access to computers, and (2) who is not online, when the Making Tax Digital programme comes into operation
	tabling member printed	Lord West of Spithead
	uin	HL7263
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government understands that some people with disabilities, those in rural locations with poor broadband services, and those who are digitally excluded for other reasons may find it more difficult to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements. MTD exemptions have operated successfully since the introduction of MTD for VAT in April 2019 for businesses with taxable turnover in excess of the VAT threshold. These exemptions will continue to be available to businesses within the expanded scope of MTD.</p><p> </p><p>There will be no specific allowances or payment made to those using MTD for time spent complying with MTD requirements. However, the Government accepts that there will be time spent in familiarisation with the new MTD obligations (digital record keeping and quarterly submission of information). The Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index 2019 found that those who are the most digitally engaged save a day a week in administration by going digital. Once businesses are used to operating the new MTD processes, the Government anticipates that they will find that MTD makes it easier for them to get things right, reducing errors and saving time in administering their tax affairs.</p><p> </p><p>MTD is not a response to any changes in HMRC workforce. It is a key part of the Government’s long term goal for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax authorities in the world, and forms part of the Government's 10-year strategy to build a trusted, modern tax administration system. As well as helping to tackle the part of the tax gap arising due to error and failure to take reasonable care, MTD will help to make the tax administration system more resilient and effective in responding to future shocks, while also providing businesses with access to real-time data and a more accurate overview of their financial position.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will not be funding specialist software or training, but will continue to work to ensure that any additional costs to business are minimised. Free Income Tax software will be available for businesses with the simplest tax affairs. For VAT, there are already over a dozen free packages available as part of a highly competitive market with over 500 products for different business needs. On training, the HMRC customer support model includes a multi-layered approach stretching across agents, third party software support, through to telephony support, webchat, and HMRC’s Extra Support service, as well as signposting to information and guides and to local or third party providers of digital skills courses or support already offered by external providers.</p><p> </p><p>For those with slow speeds and no access to other commercial alternatives, the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) came into force in March 2020. The USO gives people in the UK the right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection. The Government has pledged £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit-capable networks to the hardest to reach 20% of the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL7264 HL7265 HL7266 HL7267 question first answered 30/07/2020 12:13:24 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3834 label Biography information for Lord West of Spithead

1227867

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Making Tax Digital programme has been introduced due to reductions in the HMRC workforce.
	tabling member printed	Lord West of Spithead
	uin	HL7265
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government understands that some people with disabilities, those in rural locations with poor broadband services, and those who are digitally excluded for other reasons may find it more difficult to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements. MTD exemptions have operated successfully since the introduction of MTD for VAT in April 2019 for businesses with taxable turnover in excess of the VAT threshold. These exemptions will continue to be available to businesses within the expanded scope of MTD.</p><p> </p><p>There will be no specific allowances or payment made to those using MTD for time spent complying with MTD requirements. However, the Government accepts that there will be time spent in familiarisation with the new MTD obligations (digital record keeping and quarterly submission of information). The Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index 2019 found that those who are the most digitally engaged save a day a week in administration by going digital. Once businesses are used to operating the new MTD processes, the Government anticipates that they will find that MTD makes it easier for them to get things right, reducing errors and saving time in administering their tax affairs.</p><p> </p><p>MTD is not a response to any changes in HMRC workforce. It is a key part of the Government’s long term goal for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax authorities in the world, and forms part of the Government's 10-year strategy to build a trusted, modern tax administration system. As well as helping to tackle the part of the tax gap arising due to error and failure to take reasonable care, MTD will help to make the tax administration system more resilient and effective in responding to future shocks, while also providing businesses with access to real-time data and a more accurate overview of their financial position.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will not be funding specialist software or training, but will continue to work to ensure that any additional costs to business are minimised. Free Income Tax software will be available for businesses with the simplest tax affairs. For VAT, there are already over a dozen free packages available as part of a highly competitive market with over 500 products for different business needs. On training, the HMRC customer support model includes a multi-layered approach stretching across agents, third party software support, through to telephony support, webchat, and HMRC’s Extra Support service, as well as signposting to information and guides and to local or third party providers of digital skills courses or support already offered by external providers.</p><p> </p><p>For those with slow speeds and no access to other commercial alternatives, the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) came into force in March 2020. The USO gives people in the UK the right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection. The Government has pledged £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit-capable networks to the hardest to reach 20% of the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL7263 HL7264 HL7266 HL7267 question first answered 30/07/2020 12:13:24 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3834 label Biography information for Lord West of Spithead

1227869

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund appropriate standards of broadband connection for those who live in areas with poor broadband connectivity to ensure that they can participate in the Making Tax Digital programme.
	tabling member printed	Lord West of Spithead
	uin	HL7267
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government understands that some people with disabilities, those in rural locations with poor broadband services, and those who are digitally excluded for other reasons may find it more difficult to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) requirements. MTD exemptions have operated successfully since the introduction of MTD for VAT in April 2019 for businesses with taxable turnover in excess of the VAT threshold. These exemptions will continue to be available to businesses within the expanded scope of MTD.</p><p> </p><p>There will be no specific allowances or payment made to those using MTD for time spent complying with MTD requirements. However, the Government accepts that there will be time spent in familiarisation with the new MTD obligations (digital record keeping and quarterly submission of information). The Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index 2019 found that those who are the most digitally engaged save a day a week in administration by going digital. Once businesses are used to operating the new MTD processes, the Government anticipates that they will find that MTD makes it easier for them to get things right, reducing errors and saving time in administering their tax affairs.</p><p> </p><p>MTD is not a response to any changes in HMRC workforce. It is a key part of the Government’s long term goal for HMRC to become one of the most digitally advanced tax authorities in the world, and forms part of the Government's 10-year strategy to build a trusted, modern tax administration system. As well as helping to tackle the part of the tax gap arising due to error and failure to take reasonable care, MTD will help to make the tax administration system more resilient and effective in responding to future shocks, while also providing businesses with access to real-time data and a more accurate overview of their financial position.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will not be funding specialist software or training, but will continue to work to ensure that any additional costs to business are minimised. Free Income Tax software will be available for businesses with the simplest tax affairs. For VAT, there are already over a dozen free packages available as part of a highly competitive market with over 500 products for different business needs. On training, the HMRC customer support model includes a multi-layered approach stretching across agents, third party software support, through to telephony support, webchat, and HMRC’s Extra Support service, as well as signposting to information and guides and to local or third party providers of digital skills courses or support already offered by external providers.</p><p> </p><p>For those with slow speeds and no access to other commercial alternatives, the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) came into force in March 2020. The USO gives people in the UK the right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection. The Government has pledged £5 billion to support the rollout of gigabit-capable networks to the hardest to reach 20% of the country.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL7263 HL7264 HL7265 HL7266 question first answered 30/07/2020 12:13:23 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	3834 label Biography information for Lord West of Spithead

1156088

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments were undertaken on the negative effects on smaller, rural businesses of Making Tax Digital.
	tabling member constituency	Romsey and Southampton North
	tabling member printed	Caroline Nokes
	uin	4989
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2019 answer text <p>By 24 October 2019 over 1.25 million businesses had joined the new MTD service and over 1.75 million VAT returns had been successfully submitted using MTD-compatible software.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have worked with and taken feedback from stakeholders including Defra and the National Farmers’ Union, to help shape the design and to understand the impact of the MTD service. An assessment of the impact on smaller, rural businesses is included within the wider Impact Assessment.</p><p> </p><p>Broadband connectivity was presented as a particular challenge for some rural communities. The Government has committed more than £1 billion for the next generation of digital infrastructure, with the Chancellor recently announcing a £5 billion commitment to fund gigabit-capable (speeds of 1,000Mbps&gt;) deployment in the hardest to reach 20% of UK premises. This will close the digital divide and ensure rural areas are not left behind.</p><p> </p><p>Those that cannot go digital are already not required to join MTD.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 31/10/2019 15:59:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes

1143427

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for businesses seeking support through Making Tax Digital's telephone lines.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	284983
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Performance on the VAT Helpline met the 5-minute average speed of answer target for most of June, July and August, with a slightly longer wait on a few peak dates and at the start and end of July. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have trained and deployed additional resource and increased their digital support offering to businesses and agents.</p><p> </p><p>More than one million VAT traders have now joined the MTD service and more than one million returns have been received and the VAT paid. Businesses that are unable to meet the requirements of MTD because they are digitally excluded can claim exemption from the service and continue to file their VAT returns in the way they did prior to MTD, so there is no revenue lost as a result.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 284992 question first answered 09/09/2019 14:55:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1143428

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Electronic Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has been made of the revenue lost to the public purse due to businesses inability to navigate the new Making Tax Digital system.
	tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
	tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
	uin	284992
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Performance on the VAT Helpline met the 5-minute average speed of answer target for most of June, July and August, with a slightly longer wait on a few peak dates and at the start and end of July. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have trained and deployed additional resource and increased their digital support offering to businesses and agents.</p><p> </p><p>More than one million VAT traders have now joined the MTD service and more than one million returns have been received and the VAT paid. Businesses that are unable to meet the requirements of MTD because they are digitally excluded can claim exemption from the service and continue to file their VAT returns in the way they did prior to MTD, so there is no revenue lost as a result.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 284983 question first answered 09/09/2019 14:55:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry