A consultation on how HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) deals with tax agents will be concluding on March 3rd, IT contractors may be interested to discover.

Among the key areas covered in this will be on whether there should be disclosure to professional bodies where poor technical performance or unprofessional conduct are reported.

Other issues include the modernisations of ways of dealing with tax agents who have been found to have taken part in deliberate wrongdoing.

Dave Hartnett, HMRC's permanent secretary for tax, says it is important for those agents who bring their industry into dispute to be tackled.

He stated: "If taxpayers are to get the standard of service they deserve, we have to work with agents in an open and positive atmosphere. This consultation is about achieving that. We are interested to hear your views."

Earlier this week, HMRC announced that 6.4 million workers had filed their tax returns online prior to the January 31st deadline - up 12 per cent on last year's total.