Following a review of self assessment forms within HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), work has been undertaken to make the self assessment return easier for customers to complete. This includes:"The introduction of a four-page short tax return, with shorter simpler guidance, for 1.5 million people within self assessment with relatively straight forward tax affairs;""From April 2008 a redesigned main tax return will be introduced. This new version of the tax return will be shorter for most people, and will be simpler and easier to complete because it asks for less information, has clearer explanations and makes greater use of plain English;""Improvements to the online self assessment return to make navigation easier, improve the layout, and enhance the customer experience of completing the online return."Independent research shows that the customer reaction to the new short tax return and guide is overwhelmingly (90 per cent.+) positive in terms of how easy it is to understand, clarity and ease of use.Preliminary research from the current pilot for the redesigned main tax return shows that the majority of the unrepresented taxpayers taking part find the return easier to understand than the current return.HMRC has a public service agreement (PSA) target to provide simple processes for business and individuals to meet their responsibilities and claim their entitlements easily and at minimum cost. Results from the survey in 2005-06 indicate that the overall satisfaction of small businesses that complete their own tax returns (SA, PAYE and VAT) has already been improved to the levels required by that PSA target.The latest data available (2003) on the time taken to complete a tax return is as follows: Hours (unrepresented) Hours (represented) Employees 2.25 2.02 Self employed 3.02 2.27 The total time spent by HMRC in processing tax returns in 2005-06 was 2,712 man years. This includes all aspects of the work from receipt to final capture.