Between 2018 and 2022, almost 660,000 people on low incomes received a penalty for not filing a tax return on time. Very few of them earned enough to pay any tax. But, by failing to submit a tax return, they were fined at least £100, and often thousands of pounds. For most of those affected, the penalty represents more than half their weekly income. This report illustrates the scale of the problem. 45% of all HMRC late filing penalties were charged to people on low incomes, most of whom actu...
