Business owners across Britain from the start of April must file\nVAT returns online using government-approved software. It is the first phase in\nthe flagship Making Tax Digital policy \u2014 and has been beset by delays and\ncomplications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small\nbusiness bosses say the new requirements, which apply (with some\nexceptions) to those with a turnover above \u00a385,000, coincide with an\nunprecedented cocktail of cost pressures. A hike in the national living wage\nand an increase in employer contributions to auto-enrolment pensions also start\nin the first week of April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The measures all come into force days after\nBritain is due to leave the EU \u2014 and Brexit heaps further uncertainty on the\nfuture of companies, forcing entrepreneurs to change how they keep tax records\nfeels to many like another unnecessary obstacle put in their way by the\ngovernment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was not supposed to\nbe like this. Making Tax Digital was hailed as a revolution in the tax system\nwhen it was unveiled four years ago by George Osborne, then chancellor, but the\nprogramme has struggled to live up to its billing. Plans to have all individual\nand business tax returns submitted digitally by 2020 were scrapped last year,\nwith officials admitting their targets had been too ambitious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Business owners across Britain from the start of April must file VAT returns online using government-approved software. It is the first phase in the flagship Making Tax Digital policy \u2014 and has been beset by delays and complications. Small business bosses say the new requirements, which apply (with some exceptions) to those with a turnover above … <\/p>\n