Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timetable is for making available the Making Tax Digital free software; and whether his Department plans to provide financial support to small businesses to cover the cost of purchasing software in the event that the free software does not enable them to be fully compliant with Making Tax Digital.
HM Revenue and Customs is working closely with the software industry to ensure that a range of software products (including free software) is available before the commencement of Making Tax Digital in April 2018.
The tax system already provides support via various reliefs and deductions for the purchase of hardware and software as well as other expenditure. As part of the Making Tax Digital consultations, the Government sought views on further financial assistance and support. Given the views expressed, it announced on 31 January that it will continue to consider options for assistance and support alongside the fiscal impacts.