Recommendation 12

We asked HMRC to explain what exactly it was aiming for with the introduction of quarterly updates through digital record keeping, given it was a source of concern for its stakeholders. HMRC said its aim was for customers to keep records in near real-time to help close the tax gap. It explained that there can be up to 21 months between a transaction occurring and a taxpayer needing to report that to HMRC as part of their self-assessment return, which was in part why the tax gap existed. HMRC said it was looking to see if it can take out steps, but its overriding aim was to have taxpayers’ submissions and updates happen at the same time to allow it to have information as close to real-time as possible.29 However, stakeholders including the Association of Accounting Technicians and the Institute of Charted Accounts England and Wales wrote to us to express their concerns over the reliability and usefulness of quarterly updates, such as how far this will help businesses in forecasting tax liabilities, particularly those with seasonal trading patterns.30