UK Tax History Lesson – How come the UK tax year ends on April 5th?
A long long time ago, 1582 to be exact, Pope Gregory XIII grew tired of the inaccuracies in the existing ‘Julian’ calendar and ordered the calendar to be changed.
The Julian calendar named after the late debatably great Julius Caesar had been in place since 45 BC.
Caesar’s calendar, although reasonably accurate, differed from the solar calendar by 11½ minutes.
This was not a big problem at the start, however, after 500 years this small inaccuracy had started to build up. It built up in fact to be 10 days off the solar calendar. So with this in mind, Pope Gregory introduced the Gregorian calendar.
Get your UK tax rebate
The Gregorian calendar reduced the length of the calendar year from 365.25 days to 365.2425, a reduction of 10 minutes 48 seconds per year!
This and a few other tweaks ensured Pope Gregory’s calendar was a much more accurate timekeeper. The Gregorian Calendar was then introduced in Italy, Spain, Portugal and what was then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Understanding this history is crucial for accurately filing one's self-assessment tax return, particularly when seeking a UK tax refund or tax rebate.
Why does the UK tax year start on 6 April?
The Gregorian Calendar was initially quite a slow burner in the British Empire, it wasn't introduced until 1752! By then the British calendar was 11 days off the rest of Europe, with this due to increase as time passed, the British knew it was time for a change.
Knowledge of the calendar transition and the resulting shifts in tax year dates helps taxpayers navigate the process, ensuring a timely and precise UK tax return submission to claim any eligible refunds or rebates.
On the old British Calendar, the tax year began on March 25 (the old New Year’s Day). In order to ensure against losing revenue it was decided by the British Treasury that the tax year, which started on March 25 1752, would be of the usual length (365 days) and therefore would end on April 4, the following tax year beginning on April 5.
Time passed smoothly and most importantly accurately until 1800.
Unfortunately, 1800 was not a leap year in the new Gregorian calendar but would have been in the old Julian system. Thus the treasury moved the start of the UK tax year from April 5 to April 6 and it has remained there ever since!
Seeking the professional guidance of Taxback can streamline the process of completing your tax return, potentially ensuring a more accurate claim for your tax refund or tax rebate.
We, at Taxback, have tried to be as accurate as possible in telling this tale. If you are of a different opinion please post your thoughts below!
Cookie preferences