New business owners will be benefiting from a pilot scheme by the HMRC to offer ‘telephone education’ in order to help advise them on the requirements of filing tax for a business. In HMRC’s own words, they will be calling and offering “…to talk them through some of the main things they need to know as a new business and to signpost them to the available help online”.
Despite some initial concerns, HMRC have said they will not be calling customers with knowledge of their circumstances, rather they will be calling a list of business owners and offering generic advice.
The phone calls will focus on areas of advice including business taxes, VAT and record keeping, being an employer, expenses and allowances, amongst others.
The The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said it was…
“pleased to note that HMRC has taken care to consider the role of agents”. It added: “HMRC will ask early on in the telephone conversations whether the taxpayer has an agent, and if so, will just provide ‘general messages on record-keeping’ and cover any areas for which the agent is not acting.”
