Officials say that half of the people who missed the deadline do not actually pay a tax bill, some of them because of tax allowances, and therefore they expect that the penalties actually collected will be closer to the lower figure.

The 9% of taxpayers who missed the deadline is broadly in line with last year’s figures, but far less than Friday’s estimate when it was expected that around 7,000 Islanders wouldn’t get their forms in on time. 

As officers go through the many forms that were filled in on time, the Taxes Office have announced changes in its opening times.

Fines for a late tax return might increase in the future as the Taxes Office is proposing that the Treasury Minister considers increasing the late-filing penalty to £300. In addition, that penalty could be supplemented by an additional penalty of £50 every month, for a maximum of 11 months, that the return remains outstanding. The proposal is part of the “Tax Compliance Framework” which is subject to public consultation until 16 June.