Advertisement 
LITRG Chairman Anthony Thomas said: “From pensioners to agency workers there are huge numbers of people in Britain today with low incomes but complex tax affairs. The tax system clearly is not working well enough for these groups. It needs to be simpler, better explained and easier to work out how much tax you should be paying. Also there are numerous areas where people in apparently similar situations are, for often arbitrary reasons, taxed differently. The government needs to look again at these.”
LITRG’s recommendations include:
- Ensure the move to a digital tax system does not leave vulnerable groups behind
- Raise the national insurance threshold and universal credit work allowance alongside the income tax personal allowance to benefit those on low incomes
- Improve quality and accuracy of information available on GOV.UK website
- Fairer and more flexible rules for self-employed claimants of universal credit
- Close working between UK government and devolved administrations to avoid unintended consequences of tax and welfare changes.
Anthony Thomas said: “There are particular issues facing the self-employed and those on the boundaries of employment and self-employment such as agency and ‘gig’ workers. It is essential that the administration systems for them are simple and fair, requiring income to be reported once only. The rules for self-employed claimants of universal credit should be refined so they are cohesive with the tax system and can deal fairly with fluctuating incomes and expenses."
--
If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'.
-
Susie Hughes © Shout99 2017
|
