Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has launched a mobile application today that allows UK residents to calculate how much tax they pay and how the government spends it.
The app is available on both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platform.
According to HMRC, the app aims to help the government achieve its aim of becoming more transparent and open.
Its launch comes on the same day the government releases research entitled ‘Personal Tax Transparency’, which found that although 70 percent of those who receive bank statements said that they always check their transactions, just 26 percent of taxpayers are as thorough in checking how much tax they have paid, and only 10 percent would be able to put an exact figure on it, if asked.
“We think it is right that people know how much tax they pay and what the government spends it on. At the moment, over half of taxpayers do not know how much income tax and National Insurance they pay in a year,” said David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
“Our new tax calculator will allow them to find out, which is a big step towards a more transparent, 21st century system.”
In similar news, HMRC CIO Phil Pavitt said last week that if the government doesn’t implement identity assurance across its central government departments it is failing the needs of the public.
He said that IT in government was about offering “frictionless” services to the public, which he argued cannot be achieved without identity assurance.