Tories label HMRC incompetent after online tax return blunder

The Tories have attacked the Government for being incompetent after the HMRC website crashed on the last day online tax returns could be filed.

The Chancellor, who had apparently been encouraging people to file their tax returns online, has extended the midnight tonight deadline until midnight Friday and assured people they will not be subject to the £100 penalty if they file after the original deadline.

But shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond says the problems expose the Government’s incompetence

He says: “When will Alistair Darling get a grip? He’s happy to threaten taxpayers with £100 fines if they don’t send in their tax returns on time, but he can’t even provide them with the basic tools to do the job. This is more evidence of the endemic incompetence at HMRC.”