HMRC's Twitter Q&A for eBay Users

Online traders, uncertain of their tax position, are being encouraged to tweet their questions to HMRC during an hour-long Q&A on Twitter.

The session on the social media site, aimed specifically at providing guidance on tax to people using online marketplaces, will begin at 3pm on 28 March, with more information being published on HMRC’s account @HMRCgovuk.

As part of its wider campaign of clamping down on tax evasion HMRC last week began, the e-Markets Disclosure Facility, a six-month period encouraging traders over the web to come clean about any outstanding tax they may owe.

After the 14 September 2012, HMRC will contact any individuals they suspect of not paying sufficient tax on sales they made through trading websites like eBay.

Marian Wilson, head of HMRC campaigns, said: ‘We want to help people trading online to understand when they need to pay tax, and how to do that. This Twitter Q&A will try to answer their questions and clear up any grey areas.’

She added: ‘Those who only sell a few items and who are not traders are unlikely to be liable to pay tax on what they sell, and will not be targeted by this campaign. Our aim is to make it easy for online traders to contact us and make a full disclosure of income, thereby putting their affairs in order.’