There seem to be a lot of deadlines in the world of tax… but why are they the same for everyone? Why is there a tax year?There isn’t a phone bill year, or a gas bill year. There isn’t even a car tax year. So why is everyone in the country forced in to flooding the tax office with enquiries (and overloading their website) at the same time? Maybe there’s a good reason… or, more likely, it’s just because that’s the way it’s always been done. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to collect tax if the workload could be spread more evenly throughout the year? (And if it was cheaper, could I pay less tax please?!)
If the chances of getting rid of the tax year seem slim, then one possible way to make it happen is even less likely to happen; namely, privatising tax collection. Is that such a crazy idea? If it’s possible to have more than one gas company competing to send the same gas, through the same pipe, to my house, then why not have more than one company competing to collect my tax? A more efficiently managed company could collect less money from me, pass on more money to the government and still make a profit.
Could it work?
Notes from a small field 
The system is trapped in a view that is probably over 100 years old. Designed for a time when technology consisted of a quill and there were far fewer people. I can’t really think of a reason to justify the stupidity we put ourselves through.. I appear not to need to do a tax return btw. :o)
Think I’m going to have to pick up a quill and write to them; they don’t seem interested in answering the phone so I can tell them my tax code is wrong anyway. Really hope I don’t ever have to start filling in tax returns!