Follow Us

Follow us on Twitter  Follow us on LinkedIn
 

13 December 2018

ACCA: Tax authorities must recognise the risks in implementing digital tax collection tools


According to its most recent report: Technology tools and the future of tax administration, ACCA urges tax administrators to manage the risk of imposing restrictive technological requirements on taxpayers.

At the extreme regulatory constraints could deprive businesses of the opportunity to exploit the most economically efficient technology, stifling competition and even growth.

Tax authorities face the additional burden that their systems must work for every taxpayer in a stable and predictable fashion. As a matter of sheer practicality, tax systems cannot evolve constantly as businesses do. A single central authority will implement a single central system, which must balance the needs of every taxpayer and will by its nature change infrequently in discrete steps.

ACCA’s head of business and tax law, Jason Piper, says:

‘Businesses operate independently, and each will tailor its digital tools to match its own circumstances. The constant cycle of technological change means no two businesses will implement identical solutions. Tax authorities may see a benefit in imposing a standardised system which drags the least innovative business into the digital net.

‘However, there is a risk that enforcing these changes will in some cases do more harm than good if they compromise other businesses’ ability to explore all benefits offered by digital tools.’

Full press release



© ACCA - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants


< Next Previous >
Key
 Hover over the blue highlighted text to view the acronym meaning
Hover over these icons for more information



Add new comment