Tax Year: Why is it such?

There were two starts to the year Jan 1st and the farming year Lady day which is the 25th March, 25th March was when Farmers settled their accounts with the Government for taxes.

Then Pope Gregory changed the Calendar to bring it in line with the Sun, Julius Caesar (Julian Calendar) had done this previously but there was still a margin of error.

So on the Continent the Gregorian calendar was introduced however Britain had broken with Rome, so it was many years later we brought it in, and when we did (october I think 17 something) the year lost 12 days, but many farmers refused to pay on the old 25th March (26th being the first day of the farming year) and paid on the old day which was 5th April (6th April new Tax year) and it has carried on since.

So there I am sat on a beach in Goa watching the perfect sunset (they are always perfect) and I got chatting to an Indian guy who was job hunting, and in passing said "I am waiting until april 6th as this is the start of the new Tax year, a peculiar date we have here in India."

Me "It will be from the days of the Raj."

"do you think so, it sounds most Indian" LOL.

The current tax year 2012-2013 is 6th April 2012 - 5th April 2013.

The next tax year 2013-2014 is 6th April 2013 - 5th April 2014

Christmas and new years make Dec 31st already too busy for most people. They just chose the end of the next quarter to make things easy.