Corporate report

Simplifying tax for the future – a consultation on our future strategy and summary of responses

The Office of Tax Simplification’s high level strategy – a stakeholder consultation and summary of responses.

• From: Office of Tax Simplification
• Published: 12 May 2016
• Last updated: 13 October 2016 — See all updates

Documents

Strategy document

PDF, 679 KB, 12 pages

Summary of responses

PDF, 594 KB, 12 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email digital.communications@hmtreasury.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The OTS was established in 2010 to be an independent office of HM Treasury to make recommendations on how to simplify tax in the UK. The 2016 Finance Act places the OTS on a permanent statutory basis and the strategy consultation document we issued in May set out, and sought views on, how the OTS might develop and operate as we embark on this new chapter as a statutory body.

To deliver our strategy we said we planned to:

• set out how new trends and changes in business and employment (such as the sharing economy) will impact on tax
• consider how to make tax simpler given these changes to the world of work
• review areas integral to these trends and identify difficult issues where an informed discussion is required
• take the issues and options out for wide discussion and evidence gathering
• encourage simplification to be built into tax policy making and implementation early on in the process
• engage closely with HMRC on its important digital agenda

As is our approach with the individual projects that we work on, we sought engagement and representations from all interested parties.

We have been delighted with the level of engagement with this consultation, both through written responses and at a well-attended stakeholder event in July, and would like to warmly thank everyone who has contributed.

In the summary of responses document our main purpose is to ‘report back’ and offer an initial response to the main comments, observations and suggestions that have so helpfully been made. It’s our intention to develop our strategy further with our new Board members, and our new Tax Director (when appointed), and to publish a further, more definitive document, taking account of all the input, in due course.

Meantime, if this document prompts further thoughts from those who have already commented, or indeed from others, then - as ever - we’d be very pleased to receive them. Please contact us at ots@ots.gsi.gov.uk

Published 12 May 2016
Last updated 13 October 2016 + show all updates

1. 13 October 2016

   Updated with a summary of responses

2. 12 May 2016

   First published.