News Article - 14 May 2007
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A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) has said that he shares the frustration of small firms with regard to online tax filing fiascos.

In response to a comment on the Accountingweb portal, ICAEW tax faculty chairman Paul Alpin said that asking people to file their tax figures out of hours or at the weekend is unacceptable.

"As someone who works in a small practice with people sitting a few feet away from me experiencing these problems I fully understand and share the frustrations. They are costing me time and money," he said.

Mr Alpin states that HM Revenue & Customs' online system has been running slowly, marking the third year of let-downs.

He added that the ICAEW had asked the tax body to extend the deadline for handing in filings; however, he stated that he did not have a "magic wand" with which to rectify the situation.

Mr Alpin was responding to a comment that the ICAEW lived in an ivory tower and ought to "play hell with the government" over recent filing failures.

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