Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what annual (a) expenditure has been allocated for the cost of implementing his Department’s Tax Administration Strategy reforms and (b) return to the Exchequer is forecast to result from that investment.

At the recent Spending Review the government provided HMRC with funding to deliver the government’s ambition to build a modern digital tax and customs system as part of its Tax Administration Strategy.

Over the 3-year Spending Review period, HMRC will build on the success of the Making Tax Digital programme, helping to make tax simpler for businesses, reduce the scope for errors, and deliver the Single Customer Account, which will create a simpler, faster and better customer experience, allowing taxpayers to see and manage all their tax affairs in one place.

HMRC was also given funding to modernise its IT systems and improve the quality, resilience and security of its digital services. This funding will reduce the risk of system failures, enhance the department’s ability to defend against cyberattacks and support the continued digitisation and modernisation of the tax system. It will also transform the way HMRC procures IT, creating more opportunities for smaller businesses to compete for contracts and deliver greater technological innovation.