Starting today (1 January 2024), taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators must record the income of each and every driver working on their platforms.

The new requirement marks the first phase in a HMRC strategy to receive these records in January 2025, as part of an extensive drive to "bolster transparency and ensure tax compliance in digital platform transactions".

The UK government's introduction of the "Reporting Rules for Digital Platforms" legislation is a decisive step towards establishing equitable standards across the digital marketplace. These rules mandate that all taxi and private hire digital platforms gather and submit earnings data from their drivers to HMRC. This sweeping reform is expected to redefine the landscape of digital commerce, particularly for businesses offering services through digital platforms.

With the aim of promoting tax transparency and streamlining the reporting process, platforms will soon start to request additional personal details from their drivers, such as National Insurance numbers. From January 2025, this data will be annually reported directly to HMRC, marking a significant shift in how driver earnings are monitored and taxed.

The legislation, impacting an estimated 2-5 million businesses in the UK, extends beyond taxis and PHVs to encompass a broad spectrum of services available through digital platforms. This includes sectors like food delivery, freelance work, and short-term accommodation rentals.