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Men come out on top in battle of the taxes

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Men come out on top in battle of the taxes

New analysis revealed today by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows that men win the battle of the taxes as they are more likely than women to complete their tax return on time.

With 294 of every 10,000 tax returns completed late men have managed to topple women off the top spot. Beaten by just 9 tax returns per 10,000, women submitted 303 late tax returns for every 10,000 in 2013‑14 tax year.

It seems that it’s not only gender that impacts on whether you might miss the 31 January deadline but also age. Only 118 of every 10,000 tax returns received late, came from those aged 65 and over, making them top of the class. Those with room for improvement are the 18-20 year olds with a huge 949 for every 10,000 overdue.

There’s even competition within different industries to complete tax return on time. The agriculture, fishing and forestry industry are once again in the lead, with just 71 in every 10,000 returns submitted late. Lawyers and accountants came second (147 late returns per 10,000), with financial, insurance and real estate sector’s 212 late submissions per 10,000, moving them from fifth place to third. Those working in the administrative and support services slipped into bottom place (359 per 10,000), with information and communication industries not far behind (330 per 10,000) and education the next worst performing sector (292 per 10,000).

Across the United Kingdom, those living in Northern Ireland are the most likely to complete their tax return without delay with 223 for every 10,000 submitted late, followed by Wales (259 per 10,000), and Scotland (291 per 10,000). England were the worst culprits for late returns, sending in 297 per 10,000 after the deadline. As a whole, the UK submitted 293 late returns for every 10,000 in 2013-14.

Taxpayers in London were the worst performers in England, completing 402 late returns for every 10.000. Meanwhile, the South West sent in 236 late returns for every 10.000 making them the English region least likely to miss the January 31 deadline.

Ruth Owen, HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, said:

“It doesn’t matter if you're a man or woman, young or old, whether you live in Newcastle or Cardiff, – if you need to complete a tax return, you need to do it now.

“Our online service has a wide range of resources to help taxpayers complete their tax return and can be accessed 24 hours a day to suit everyone’s working pattern. Our advice is to not leave it until the eleventh hour – act now to prevent getting caught up in a last minute rush.”

To avoid a £100 late return penalty, there is now only four days to left to submit your online tax return, and pay what you owe to HMRC.


Notes to Editors:

1. The deadline for Self Assessment returns is 31 January.

2. If you are submitting your 2014-15 Self Assessment return online for the first time, you will need to register for SA Online. Registering for online returns is simple – you can do it online at www.gov.uk/register-for-self-assessment.

3. Help is available from the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-returns or from the Self Assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310.

4. These figures are sourced from Self-Assessment management information from the Computerised Environment for Self-Assessment (CESA) at April 2015 for the 2013-14 tax year. Industry categories are based on UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 2007 (SIC2007). All individual figures have been rounded independently to the nearest thousand or three significant figures.

5. HMRC analysed all 2013-14 tax returns received up to the end of April 2015 (and adjusted the figures to account for returns expected but still not received.)

6. The full adult age analysis for late returns per 10,000 returns is as follows: 

Age Range

2013-14
2012-13

18-20

949
1085

21-30

621
736

31-40

463
575

41-50

331
444

51-60

224
299

61-64

147
192

65+

118
155

7. The full UK and English regional analysis for late returns per 10,000 is as follows:

Region 2013-14 2012-13
Scotland 291 391
England 297 374
Wales 259 346
Northern Ireland 223 301
London 402 512
North East 305 380
North West 295 369
South East 276 355
East of England 273 346
West Midlands 286 344
Yorkshire and the Humber 272 337
East Midlands 264 324
South West 236 299

8. The full industry analysis for late returns per 10,000 is as follows: 

Industry

2013-14
2012-13

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

71
109

Manufacturing

250
313

Construction

241
352

Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles

247
309

Transportation and Storage

287
347

Accommodation and Food Service Activities

213
300

Information and Communication

330

390

Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities

212
286

Activities Legal & Accounting Activities

147
219

Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities

263
322

Administrative and Support Service Activities

359
388

Education

292
317

Human Health and Social Work Activities

239
262

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

272

329

Other Industries

333

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9. Follow the HMRC Press Office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice

10. HMRC’s Flickr channel www.flickr.com/hmrc.gov.uk

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Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority.

HMRC is responsible for making sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services and for helping families and individuals with targeted financial support.

Contacts

HMRC Press Office

HMRC Press Office

Press contact 03000 585 018

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority

HMRC is responsible for making sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services and for helping families and individuals with targeted financial support.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
100 Parliament St
SW1A 2BQ London