Tinkering with tax simplification: what we need is a radical approach

Permanent status for the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is welcome, but armed with better resources and funding, it has to be given the independence and powers to do more than tinker ineffectively at the edges of the tax code, says Jonathan Riley FCA, head of tax at Grant Thornton UK LLP

Did the Summer Budget announcements herald a new dawn for tax simplification?

It is worth quoting exactly what was said: ‘The government will establish the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on a permanent basis with an expanded role and capacity. The new, expanded OTS will be put on a statutory footing in Finance Bill 2016, and will advise the government on how to deliver a simpler tax system, providing independent advice on options for addressing existing complexity in the tax system.’

So, the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced that the OTS would be put on a statutory footing. Or, at least, made permanent. Perhaps it really is both.

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