Nearly half of self-employed workers and small business owners do not have confidence in HMRC, data published by the tax office has revealed.

The study shows that confidence among small businesses has dropped year-on-year. In 2021, 63% of small businesses perceived HMRC positively, but this dropped to as low as 54% in 2022.

Only 35% believed that HMRC is efficient and does not waste money. Further questions were also raised, with only 54% of small business owners agreeing that HMRC is an effective organisation.

The research did cite satisfied ‘customer experience', broadly speaking - 74% of small businesses spoke positively of their experience of dealing with HMRC.

However, Seb Maley, CEO at Qdos (a tax insurance provider) said this "merely papers over the cracks."

He said: "This research paints a damning picture of how self-employed workers and small business owners perceive HMRC. With nearly 4.3m self-employed people in the UK, it suggests that nearly half don't have confidence in the tax office.

"I can't help but feel that HMRC has created a rod for its own back. Time and time again, HMRC launches tax investigations into innocent freelancers and contractors, leaving them with staggering tax bills"

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