Why does the British tax year start 4th April?

Answer 1

Prior to the eighteenth century, the calendar year began on 25th March and so it was quite natural for the tax year to start on the same date. When the calendar was reformed the Inland Revenue decided not to confuse the populace further by changing the dates of the tax year as well. The Gregorian calendar was adopted in Britain some time after it had been instituted in Europe, and in order to correct the time lag which had built up, it was decreed that September 2nd, 1752 would be followed by September 14th. This move was unpopular with the general public who took to the streets in fury, shouting that they had been robbed of 11 days of their lives. In such a climate the Inland Revenue felt that they could not start the next tax year on 25th March as usual, as the already irate taxpayers would effectively be paying a full year's tax for only 354 days. The solution was to move the start of the following tax year back to April 6th, where it has remained ever since.