The announcement that HMRC will push ahead with a 2018 start for Making Tax Digital is a clear indication that their priorities lie with their own tax administration concerns rather than the health of SMEs. With the uncertainties of Brexit already adding to the burdens of small businesses trying to stay afloat in challenging circumstances, a decision to defer its implementation until 2020 would have been a welcome boon to many. Instead, the announcements of 31 January have left us with as many unknowns as knowns.