Online accounting-taxation link

This is optional. You would absolutely not have to do this, but you could. I'm also a little surprised why it isn't available already. Maybe i've missed something.

Today is the deadline for online filing of self-assessment taxation in the UK. This means people have to bring their accounts up to date and, having opted not to fill in a paper form and post it, have to fill in a form online and submit it. They get a PDF copy. You probably know the drill.

Instead of that, the HMRC should provide a Web 2.0 style online application a little like Google Docs, enabling us to keep all our accounts online with the option of a hard copy or local download. We get to keep our own records, in fact it could even stay compulsory, and they get to see our accounts in as much detail as they like and still work out the tax for themselves, as is the case right now. They send a bill as usual and so forth.

Not that i'm a fan of the tax system, but surely this is possible right now and would even be popular with them? And it would take pressure off us. There would no longer be a rush to meet a deadline: HMRC would just calculate the tax at the end of the tax year from what data we'd already submitted to them.