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Tax system 'difficult to understand'
03 April 2008
Britain's taxation system is little understood and planned changes this month will add to the confusion, the Chartered Institute of Taxation has warned.
Among the tax changes are a decrease of basic income tax from 22 per cent to 20 per cent in addition to a raft of other changes to capital gains tax, national insurance contributions and income taxes.
John Whiting, chairman of the CIOT's Management of Taxes Sub-Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, said that there was a misconception from people that they were powerless against the tax system and that it was too difficult to understand.
"I think that the ordinary man and woman in the street don't take the trouble to understand the tax system. It's almost as though they feel as though there is nothing they can do. It's all done for them and it sort of just steam-rolls along," he said.
Mr Whiting added that the new changes will lead to confusion - especially the rules surrounding capital gains tax which will involve a flat rate of 18 per cent. 
