As chancellor Alistair Darling's Finance Act receives Royal Assent, accountants are warning that many who were hoping for tax simplification will be sorely disappointed. Tax partner Roy Maugham at UHY Hacker Young said this year's Finance Act is actually 58% longer than the average Finance Act over the last 20 years, coming in at 450 pages long. Maugham said that despite politicians in agreement that the tax system needs to be kept simple, the chancellor seems to add 'more twists and turns to the labyrinth' every year. 'The Finance Act is the main vehicle for changes to the tax system so its length is a good proxy for just how much complexity is being added every year,' he added. Maugham said the complexity surrounding the UK's tax system has become a huge cost of doing business and a real disincentive to creating wealth. The introduction of the super tax for the wealthy, the naming and shaming of those who underpay taxes, and new measure that hold senior accounting executives in large companies responsible for certifying their tax accounting systems are adequate, are all areas that have been highlighted as disincentives to businesses. 'The complexity of the UK's tax system has become a huge cost of doing business, is a real disincentive to create wealth and it makes the UK a lot less attractive a location to work or locate a corporate headquarters,' he said.