The Government is
today launching a new tax calculator enabling people to work out
how much tax they pay and how the Government spends it. The tax
calculator can be downloaded as a free mobile phone app and is
also available on the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) website.
The launch comes as new research reveals that over half of
taxpayers (57%) do not know how much income tax and National
Insurance they pay in a year, suggesting that many people find the
personal tax system remote and confusing. The new calculator uses
online technology, makes it easy for taxpayers to see how much
they can expect to pay and is an important step towards achieving
the Government’s vision of making the system more transparent,
open, and easier to understand.
The research published today was carried out as part of the
Government’s consultation on ways in which people could more
easily access information on their personal taxes. It found that
although 70% of those who receive bank statements said that they
always check their transactions, just 26% of taxpayers are as
thorough in checking how much tax they have paid, and only 10%
would be able to put an exact figure on it, if asked.
David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said:
“We think it is right that people know how much tax they pay
and what the Government spends it on. At the moment, over half of
taxpayers do not know how much income tax and National Insurance
they pay in a year. Our new tax calculator will allow them to find
out, which is a big step towards a more transparent, 21st century system.”
The calculator can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs-tools/index.shtml
The mobile phone app can be downloaded at the Apple Store or
Google Play.
Notes for Editors
1. The research results are from a TNS omnibus survey
commissioned by HMRC of 2,109 adults aged 16 and over across the
UK. The survey was conducted between 15 and 19 February 2012. It
is published today and can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/report177.pdf.
2. In November 2011, the Government launched a vision for a more
transparent, open, and easier to understand tax system and a
consultation, Modernising the administration of the personal tax
system, looking at ways to make it easier for people to access
information about their taxes.
3. At the Budget in March 2012, the Government announced that
from 2014/15 20m taxpayers will receive a personal tax statement
showing how much tax they have paid and what it was spent on.
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