UK Inland Revenue Launches New Advertising Campaign

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

24 July 2002

The UK's Inland Revenue has launched a new advertising campaign. Ten words guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of taxpayers in the United Kingom, and taxpayers with televisions doubly so.

This third initiative to encourage self-assessed taxpayers to file their returns in good time follows the demise of Hector the Tax Inspector, and the doomed series of TV adverts featuring actress Pauline McLynn urging taxpayers to 'Go on, go on, go on, go on' (etc, etc, ad nauseum) and fill in their tax returns.

However, it appears that the tax authority may finally have learnt its lesson, and realised that irritating taxpayers is not the most effective way to encourage them to file their returns promptly.

The new series of - suspiciously low-key sounding - advertisements (set to run from the beginning of this week to January 2003) will feature television presenter, historian and author, Adam Hart-Davis 'in a variety of situations showing the wide range of help and support available from the Revenue, all geared to enable taxpayers to get their tax return completed and out of the way,' according to an Inland Revenue statement released this week.

The tax authority's Marketing Director added that: 'The Revenue's Core Purpose is about ensuring that everyone understands and pays what they owe, or receives what is due to them.'

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