If you have in the past paid your tax bill using a credit card, you will need to use a different method this year.
That is because credit card payments to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have fallen victim to a Government initiative originally intended to make it easier to pay for goods and services in this way.
This month sees the introduction of a ban on the practice of passing on credit card charges to consumers, whether by commercial enterprises or Government bodies. As a result, HMRC is now unable to do so and has said it would be “unfair” to absorb the charges because this would pass the burden onto other taxpayers.
The last five years have seen HMRC pass on £50 million in credit card charges to taxpayers, according to The Telegraph.
An HMRC spokesman told The Telegraph: “We will no longer be accepting personal credit card payments from the 13 January as new rules mean that we can no longer pass on what our bank charges for processing a credit card payment.
“It would be unfair to expect other taxpayers to pick up this cost. There is a range of ways for people to pay us depending on the type of tax being paid, including debit cards, Direct Debit, Faster Payment and BACS.”
Link: Taxpayers banned from using credit cards to pay personal tax bills
