{"id":44239,"date":"2026-01-19T09:49:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/?p=44239"},"modified":"2026-04-22T11:46:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:46:04","slug":"protaxination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/press-releases\/protaxination\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great ProTAXination: One in five would rather pay a \u00a3100 fine than file their taxes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New research from Taxfix reveals the emotional and financial toll of tax procrastination ahead of the January 31st<\/sup> deadline. <\/strong><\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/div>\n\n\n

LONDON, UK, 19 JANUARY 2025 –<\/strong> Britain has a tax procrastination problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the 31st January tax deadline looms, new research from Taxfix, Europe\u2019s leading AI tax accounting platform, reveals that one in five (19%) self-employed Brits would rather pay a \u00a3100 fine than deal with the stress of filing their tax return on time. With a significant proportion of self-assessors still yet to submit, and 25% admitting they will leave filing their return even later than usual this year, the data shows that stress, confusion and a lack of clear guidance are fuelling widespread procrastination.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2nd January, HMRC identified that 5.65 million people \u2013 47% of those who must complete a Self-Assessment \u2013 still hadn\u2019t filed their return. But data from Taxfix shows that rather than laziness or negligence, there is a direct correlation between tax return procrastination and the complexity of the process.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of those who have not yet filed, complex forms (29%), constantly changing tax rules (20%), and the anxiety the process causes (27%) were cited as some of the biggest barriers to getting started.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than half (54%) of self-assessors said the poor customer service and confusing HMRC website puts them off starting their tax return. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxes take their toll<\/strong>  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tax stress is impacting Britain\u2019s self-employed workforce, with a third (32%) saying filing their return is the worst thing about being self-employed and one in six (16%) saying the tax return process makes them question working for themselves at all.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Connor Gani, freelance producer based in London, said:<\/strong> \u201cDoing a tax return as a sole trader feels way more complicated than it needs to be. Every year, I\u2019m forced to navigate the same system a Limited Company uses \u2013 scrolling through endless pages that don\u2019t apply to me with anxiety-inducing warnings about penalties if I get it wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As a freelancer, you\u2019re constantly worried you\u2019ve underpaid \u2013 but you rarely know if you\u2019ve overpaid either. With little clear guidance on what you can expense and a clunky, manual process, it\u2019s basically impossible to feel confident you\u2019ve got it right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor sole traders, November to February is often a quieter time when it comes to finding work. So having to dedicate hours to tax filing instead of finding jobs feels pretty brutal. The reality is that this is the main reason I\u2019m considering going back into full-time employment\u201d. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For some, the impending tax return deadline impacted the festive season. Some 39% felt anxious over the Christmas period or don\u2019t feel well-rested from having to do their tax returns over the break.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 in 10 (10%) said doing their tax return has impacted their New Year\u2019s resolutions such as drinking less and eating less chocolate because they needed a stress reliever. 5% of self-assessors \u2013 around 600,000 \u2013 even said that stress about their taxes ruined their Christmas this year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Brits delay<\/strong>  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The research reveals the top reasons that Brits won\u2019t submit on time this year, with the stress the process causes topping the list.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other reasons cited included getting the right work-life balance (27%), needing to focus on generating revenue instead (21%), not wanting to deal with HMRC on the phone (17%), and not having the spare cash to pay for an accountant to help (19%).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

26% said that they\u2019d rather clean the fridge than tackle their tax returns.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, more than \u00a3110 million in \u00a3100 late-filing penalties was issued by HMRC after over one million people missed the Self-Assessment deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under current rules, anyone who files late receives an immediate \u00a3100 penalty. If a return remains outstanding for more than three months, additional penalties of \u00a310 per day can apply, up to a maximum of \u00a3900, with further penalties possible at six and twelve months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Martin Ott, CEO of Taxfix said<\/strong>: \u201cWith the longest tax code in the world and a constantly changing set of rules, including the long-awaited introduction of Making Tax Digital, self-assessment is not getting any easier for Brits. Tax filing should be as simple as ordering a pizza. No one should have to pay unnecessary fines because of an overly complex and outdated process. At Taxfix, we make tax filing simple and easy to follow on web and mobile, while also connecting people with expert accountants so they can submit with confidence.\u201d <\/em>  <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, the majority of self-assessors said that their relationship with taxes would be much better if the process were simplified (81%). 35% would like to see reduced complexity in tax laws, 32% want to see clearer rules on deductions and credits to minimise errors, and 27% would value mobile-friendly filing so they can do it on the go.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re yet to submit your taxes ahead of the 31st January deadline and need help, you can find more advice and support here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ENDS<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

———————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Taxfix<\/strong>  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taxfix is Europe\u2019s leading AI tax accounting platform, with over 8 million tax returns submitted and more than \u20ac4,5 billion in refunds reclaimed. We are transforming one of life\u2019s most complex and stressful tasks \u2013 filing taxes \u2013 into a simple, secure, and personalised experience. With this, we empower people to take control of their finances and fix finance for all.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With scalable technology, seamlessly integrated AI, and user-centric design, the platform offers a broad range of tailored tax filing solutions for its customers, from intuitive self-filing offers with guided Q&A flows, to expert tax advice as well as special financial services for the self-employed. For Taxfix’s independent tax accountant partners, the company has built a powerful partner platform that provides intelligent tools, automation, and AI-driven workflows to enable efficient and high-quality service delivery at scale.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxfix employs over 400 professionals from more than 50 countries and is operating in three of the largest European financial markets: Germany, the UK and Spain. The company is backed by world-class investors such as Index Ventures, Valar Ventures, Creandum, Redalpine, and Teachers’ Venture Growth (OTPP).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 people in the UK who have to file a self-assessment tax return. The data was collected between 02.01.25 – 07.01.25. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New research from Taxfix reveals the emotional and financial toll of tax procrastination ahead of the January 31st deadline.    LONDON, UK, 19 JANUARY 2025 – Britain has a tax procrastination problem.  As the 31st January tax deadline looms, new research from Taxfix, Europe\u2019s leading AI tax accounting platform, reveals that one in five (19%) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":44240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[523],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Great ProTAXination - Press Release<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New research from Taxfix reveals the emotional and financial toll of tax procrastination ahead of the January 31st deadline. \u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/taxfix.com\/en-uk\/blog\/press-releases\/protaxination\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Great ProTAXination - 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