HMRC has released guidance on the Tax Agent Strategy outlining plans for new online services to improve the tax authority's relationship with tax agents.

The programme will see the introduction of online services by March 2015 to help agents take more control of their clients' tax affairs. These services will include a single, secure process for agents to register with HMRC and obtain a Unique Agent Reference, and a 'streamlined' agent authorisation process.

In addition, HMRC will work closely with agent representative bodies on the development of so-called 'Agent and Client Statistics' (previously known as 'agent view'), to identify agents with clients whose filing, payment and compliance levels are significantly below what HMRC would expect.

More details are available from HMRC