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·  The January 31st tax deadline for online self-assessment forms is only weeks away

·  Taxpayers could be fined £24 million more than they were last year for late returns and wrongly filled in forms

·  Over 1 million forms were submitted late in 2008 (14,600 more than in 2007)

Taxpayers are set to gift the taxman an unnecessary £503 million this year in fines generated by late returns, miscalculations and surcharges on unpaid tax, according to research by Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website. The research* also reveals this amount has increased by £24 million on estimations for last year.

Failure to get forms to Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by the fast-approaching 31st January deadline will incur an initial £100 late payment charge**.  If the form still hasn’t been returned by 31st July there will be a further penalty of £100.  Furthermore, if despite these penalties you still fail to return your tax forms the HMRC are able to apply a daily penalty of up to £60 a day. 

Karen Barrett, chief executive of Unbiased.co.uk comments, “Failing to get your online self-assessment form to HMRC by 31st January, or filling it out incorrectly, will result in hefty fines which can easily be avoided through careful planning.  In the current climate where money is tighter than ever, we are urging consumers to take ‘tax action’ and ensure they fill out their forms correctly and in time of the 31st January deadline.  Those who are confused and need help with their tax return forms should seek advice from an independent financial adviser.”

Unbiased.co.uk’s research calculates that money will be wasted in the following three ways:

·   £104 million in fines for forms returned past the January 31st deadline

·   £319 million through fines for miscalculations made on tax forms

·   £80 million in surcharges for unpaid tax from previous years

In 2008, it was estimated that over 1 million self-assessment forms were received after the January 31st deadline.  Of these, the vast majority incurred a penalty of £100, and many more were subject to further surcharges. There has been an increase of approximately 14,600 on 2007, which shows that consumers are still failing to take action and reduce the amount of tax they pay.

Karen Barrett concluded, ““You may already consult an accountant for tax advice, but to ensure you’re managing your personal finances as tax efficiently as possible, an independent financial adviser can offer invaluable help. You can carry out a free and confidential search at Unbiased.co.uk to find an independent financial adviser near you.”

ENDS

* TaxAction 2009 report produced for IFA Promotion by RAKM, based on a specially commissioned analysis of HMRC and a range of other official data sources.

** HMRC website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/deadlines-penalties.htm

For further information on Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website pleases contact:

Sign up to Unbiased.co.uk’s unique Professional Connections service, allowing IFAs, mortgage brokers and solicitors to find and link up with other professional advisers across the UK to expand their current business network.

For expert commentary or case studies from over 150 media-friendly IFAs, journalists should visit www.unbiased.co.uk/bluebook to search the Blue Book Media IFA database.

Top tips for journalists when using Blue Book online:

1.         List and store all your IFA contacts in one place.  As well as having access to the whole Media IFA database on the Blue Book, you can also separately list your favourite Media IFAs.  You can add confidential, personalised post-it notes with extra details to Media IFA profiles.  These will be saved and always appear every time you log back into your account.

2.         Email broadcast Media IFAs.  The Blue Book allows you to email individual favourite Media IFAs for personal commentary or alternatively email a group of your favourite Media IFAs for a collection of opinions on a topic.  You can use the Blue Book online to conduct a straw poll on a specific topic for instance. 

3.         Online coverage generated by Media IFAs.  Each Media IFA profile contains links to their most recent online coverage.  This allows you to see what topic Media IFAs have been commenting on recently, allowing you to make a more informed decision as to which Media IFA you wish to speak to.

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5.         Journalist recommendations.  The Blue Book gives helpful suggestions as to which Media IFAs other journalists have on their list of favourites.  Each Media IFA profile has suggestions as to other Media IFAs you may find useful. 

6.         Broaden out your contact list of Media IFAs.  Overall, the Blue Book online is designed to help you widen the pool of Media IFAs you can contact for commentary or help with articles you are writing.  Sign up to the Blue Book now in order to take advantage of all these features. 

Notes to Editors

Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website

Unbiased.co.uk is the free and confidential UK-wide search service matching consumers with the most appropriate local professional advisers for their needs.  In 2008, Unbiased.co.uk fulfilled over half a million searches for local, professional advice. 

The portal currently houses three professional advice searches: ‘find an IFA’, ‘find a mortgage adviser’, and ‘find a solicitor’, and is inviting accountants to sign up for its ‘find an accountant’ service.  These searches enable consumers to find relevant professional advisers by postcode, area of specialism and payment method, amongst other options. 

IFA Promotion, the organisation behind Unbiased.co.uk, is now in its 20th year, and was set up to promote the benefits of independent financial advice to the consumer. 

Unbiased.co.uk’s product provider sponsors

Registered Office: Unbiased.co.uk is the consumer brand of IFA Promotion Ltd, 90 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5UB. Registered in Scotland: No. 114606

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