Inland Revenue Launches Nagging Campaign

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

27 November 2001

The UK Inland Revenue looks to be pushing the concept of the nanny state to its limits, as it announced that it will be launching a new telephone campaign to remind self-assessment taxpayers of the 31 January deadline.

The tax office says that it will initially be targetting those who filed their 1999/2000 tax returns late, new self-assessment taxpayers, and self-assessment taxpayers also involved in the construction industry scheme. Self-assessees who are represented by an agent will also receive a call to check whether they have supplied the agent with all the information necessary to complete and return the 2000/2001 tax return.

The Inland Revenue, which has high hopes for the initiative, has said that it hopes that the scheme, which will be backed up by reminder letters, will enable it to make faster and more efficient contact with potential and habitual late-filers.

Taxpayers, meanwhile, are said to be eagerly awaiting the forthcoming 'Wash behind your ears', 'Don't talk to strangers', and 'Always wear clean underwear in case you get knocked down by a bus' initiatives...

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