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Looks like the market for contractors should pick up a bit in Feb 2013...
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has confirmed that its Real Time Information (RTI) system, developed to improve the operation of PAYE taxation, is to go ahead with a pilot beginning in April 2012. The department is to invite software developers and volunteer employers to take part in the pilot. If it is successful, employers will …
"We want to work with software developers and employers to help us deliver the new system" - so excuse me, but who exactly is being paid to do the systems development on this project? Will HMRC be releasing the code for public review? Will these developers be paid?
On the other hand, this kind of thing will seriously piss off at least one ex-colleague who works on the account. "Your code isn't good enough, we're calling in anybody who wants to try their hand..."
HMRC will employ people to write their side of the system, but it will need to interface with employers' existing payroll software, and that is where the working together bit comes in.
I hope they do a better job than they did with xbrl for corporation tax returns, but I fear they will do a much worse job, not least because a typical company has one corporation tax return to file annually, and quite a few employees to file monthly or even weekly.
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