Leave taxes in the hands of others. Managers and tax advisors are experiencing major peaks in work with income these months. The activity multiplies with the campaign and personal income tax becomes everyday life in the offices. With a renewed push in the online channel, when are they convenient?
The advice is usually to hire them whenever possible or when there are doubts, but especially when several games are combined. Salaries, investments, rents, sales… “The volume is not so important, whether they are high figures, but the complexity of having several different concepts,” says Josep Ribó, president of the Official College of Administrative Managers of Catalonia. “The Treasury gives the draft ready, but every year there are errors and it is more complex. It costs nothing to have a professional look at it,” he continues.
As in all sectors, digitalization is present. Online management platforms have been operating for years, both born here and abroad. Convenience serves as their sign, with tools such as chats to ask questions. “The language spoken in the Tax Agency is difficult to understand. We opt for easy language,” says Jaume Suñol, general manager of the TaxScouts online platform in Spain. Speed ??is also promised. “We have the software ready to calculate the declaration when the tax data comes out, before starting the campaign,” explains Paula Urcera, tax expert at the online consultancy TaxDown.
And what about the costs? “It depends on the complexity, no two incomes are the same…” explains Ribó. In an office, they normally start at 50 or 60 euros for making a specific income, she points out, but it can reach 1,500 euros if they are taxpayers with dozens of properties, without order or control in their data. “The more things come in, the more hours are dedicated to it and the more the cost goes up,” she justifies. In the digital world the accounts depend on the model. TaxScouts operates with a monthly fee system of 39.90 euros for self-employed workers, which already includes the declaration. It charges 69.90 euros to an individual if they promptly ask to make the declaration. TaxDown starts with annual subscriptions starting at 35 euros, but they increase depending on the complexity of the income. If there is salary and investments, up to 75 euros, for example. When deciding, it is time to take stock and opt for the alternative more quickly, with a willingness to doubt and with a human behind. In addition, it must be taken into account that among the self-employed, the expense of the manager or advisor is deductible.
The savings achieved are always the great attraction. “The key is for the tax advisor to apply all the deductions to end up paying as little as possible, so that the cost of this advisor is very worthwhile. The difference is sometimes very big,” highlights Suñol. The focus is on deductions in unison. “There have been more than 60 changes in the regional ones and adjustments in the state ones,” says Urcera. For mortals, keeping up to date is impossible.
The role of the manager is measured in the pitfalls. This year there is a mess with mutual societies and the refund of overpaid personal income tax. “You have to be careful, ask for information that the client often does not know,” explains Ribó. “The problem is that there are changes,” says Urcera. At the beginning of the campaign, the Treasury asked the affected person for patience and margin until their data was correct. Cryptocurrencies, investments, second-hand or buying and selling and renting homes are other hot spots. “Also inheritances, when money is received,” says Suñol. In TaxDown they target operations with foreign banks. More complex income for lost taxpayers…