More than 1,000 users from in excess of 350 firms have now signed up for Revenue Scotland’s online tax return system.
With the portal opened up for sign-up and registration for the Scottish Landfill Tax (SLfT) and the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) just under three weeks ago, Revenue Scotland is on track to go live on April 1. Revenue Scotland are working with Registers of Scotland and professional bodies to ensure that firms intending to submit online LBTT returns from 1 April are aware of the need to sign up for the online portal as soon as possible.
There are three routes for signing up to the LBTT part of the portal:
- For firms currently registered as an e-Services user with Registers of Scotland with Local Registration Authority (LRA) permissions on ARTL, these details can be used to sign up, and the user will be instantly assigned administrator rights and able to set up other users.
- For firms and individuals with no such ARTL permissions, but who are registered with Companies House, these details can be used. A verification process will be carried out by Revenue Scotland and an activation code sent out by post to the registered office. The activaction code will be issued within 5 working days.
- For unincorporated bodies, the process is the same as for those registered with Companies House, however, the process takes slightly longer due to a manual verification being required. The activation code will be issued within 10 working days.
We have also contacted landfill operators to ensure they are aware of the need to register for SLfT before 1 April.
Meanwhile, the Revenue Scotland support desk continues to operate well, offering advice to users who need assistance with sign-up or registration.
Eleanor Emberson, Chief Executive of Revenue Scotland, said:
“With less than a month until Revenue Scotland goes live and begins to administer Scotland’s devolved taxes, sign-up and registration for our online services is working well. Solicitors who have helped test the system have reported that it is ‘intuitive and user-friendly’ and I’m confident this will be the experience for everyone when they come to submit returns online.
“With all the key components of our IT system now delivered, we’re on track and ready to launch on April 1. Up until then, we will continue to work with solicitors, landfill operators and other stakeholders to increase the numbers of sign-ups and registrations and ensure that our service is as responsive, easy to use and as efficient as possible.”