Taxman in ‘indiscriminate’ penalty mode

A record 1.5m penalties have hit those who filed their tax return after the January 31^st deadline, sparking accusations that HM Revenue & Customs is “indiscriminately” penalising taxpayers.

Having used freedom of information rules, law firm McGrigors said official data showed HMRC’s new automatic penalty regime swelled the number of late filing penalties by 8%.

The annual increase in the number of penalties HMRC hands out – even to those who don’t owe tax, equates to penalties for late filing being up 56% in just five years.

Reflecting on the latest penalty round this year, McGrigors said that many taxpayers were being unfairly charged, with HMRC “churning out fines all too indiscriminately.”