Analysis of HMRC transparency data by Definition’s fintech PR team, on the eve of the launch of Making Tax Digital in April, revealed a £48,301,234.86 spend on tablet computers over the last 12 months (March 21-Feb 22).
The largest investment came in January this year with a £10,870,673.98 outlay.
2020/21
Total leased: £6,789,763.28
Total bought: £10,311,867.81
2021/22
Total leased: £10,828,974.74
Total bought: £48,301,234.86
This is a 368% YoY increase on tablet computer spend from the previous 12 months (March 20-Feb 21) and massively dwarfs the £10,828,974.74 spent on leasing tablets over the same time period.
£28.3m of the tablet spend went to supplier CDW LTD in 21/22 with CHG-MERIDIAN COMPUTER taking just over £18m in the same year.
The Chief Digital and Information Officer Group (CDIO) was listed in the transparency records as the ‘expense area’.
A source within HMRC said:
“The CDIO team has been the driving force behind the Making Tax Digital campaign that launched in April – but the team’s remit has expanded since Brexit with ‘modernisation’ being a main focus of theirs.”
The data comes from HMRC’s transparency reports on monthly spend over £25,000 and can be found on the government’s Transparency and freedom of information releases site.
From April 2022, all VAT-registered businesses in UK, regardless of their taxable turnover, are now required to follow Making Tax Digital (MTD) rules.