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Are you digitally excluded or have you just got rubbish broadband

28th Apr 2017
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What exactly was the government’s response to the question about digital exclusion, what constituted it and how was it to be applied?

Well here is exactly what the responses were:

“The government agrees that access to broadband, age, remoteness of location and disability must all be taken into account when determining whether someone can engage digitally. The government agrees that it is possible for just one of these factors to be sufficient to ensure that a person does not find it reasonably practicable to comply with the MTDfB obligations; and will make this clear in any guidance and relevant communications.

The government will legislate for an exemption to MTDfB for taxpayers who cannot engage digitally. This exemption will be based on the existing VAT online filing exemption and will therefore exempt the following groups from the MTDfB requirements, where HMRC is satisfied that they qualify:

a person who is a practising member of a religious society or order whose beliefs are incompatible with the use of electronic communications; and

persons for whom MTDfB is not reasonably practicable for reasons of disability, age, remoteness of location, or any other reason.

The government will ensure that taxpayers are able to apply easily for an exemption to MTDfB and that non-digital means of applying for this exemption are available. The government will also ensure that taxpayers are clearly informed of the choices available to them.”

But here we are and still no explicit details are available about for instance “access to broadband”. What actually constitutes a lack of “access to broadband”? No signal whatsoever or maybe poor signal or is it possibly as simple as no coverage whatsoever?

Whatever the eventual answer actually is one has to say why is it so hard to actually come up with an answer at the outset? Why can’t government having established that exemptions will have to be granted state categorically at the outset exactly what they are thus giving one sector at least some certainty and just compare the above answer with the sheer volume of output and output in some detail about making voluntary payments. I’m not going to detail them because I won’t want to make a voluntary payment in advance of the due date, nor do my clients and in fact nor does anyone I’ve spoken to about the matter.

This blog was written by Tony Margaritelli, Chairman of the ICPA. The ICPA is dedicated to supporting and promoting the needs of the general practitioner. You can find us at www.icpa.org.uk or email [email protected] or by phone on 0800-074-2896.

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