Taxpayers given 48-hour reprieve
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A strike by tax call centre staff has given a 48-hour reprieve
to taxpayers facing a £100 fine for late online filing of their
self-assessment return.
HM Revenue and Customs has extended the deadline from midnight
tonight to midnight on Thursday.
Anyone ringing HMRC today is warned about the strike and told
they face delays.
Callers are also told about the two day extension, promising
that anyone filing online by the new deadline will be treated as
though they filed it by the original date.
Kent-based accounting firm McBrides welcomed the extension. Nick
Paterno, managing partner, said: "It's good to see that the Revenue
are being reasonable about this and not inflicting further
penalties on the taxpayer as a result of internal industrial
action."
As many as 7,000 HMRC call-centre staff are expected to walk out
today in a dispute with the Public and Commercial Services
Union.
Mr Paterno added: "Although online filing of tax returns should
not be affected, a shortage of staff on the helpline means people
who have left their tax return to the last minute could find
difficulty getting the right advice."
More than half a million people were expected to file their
returns today.
Tuesday, January 31 2012
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