Have you ever wondered where your hard-earned cash goes after the taxman has ravaged your monthly paycheck and left it gasping for life? Well wonder no more, hard-working citizen. A new app launched today by the Government can help you calculate how much tax you pay and – more intriguingly - how Whitehall spends it.

The launch comes following the revelation that over half of taxpayers do not know how much income tax and National Insurance they pay in a year. According to a press release sent from HMRC, this suggests that “many people find the personal tax system remote and confusing”. Despite Moira Stewart repeatedly assuring us that “tax doesn’t have to be taxing” – the converse appears to be true.

The accompanying research surveyed over 2,000 taxpaying adults throughout the UK and also found that, although 70 percent are happy to go through our bank statements with a fine toothcomb – checking for inaccuracies – just a quarter of taxpayers would do the same with their tax statements. Of that pitiful number, only 10 percent would be able to put an exact figure on their contributions when questioned.    

David Gauke (pictured), Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, has evidently decided that enough is enough; it is time to empower the taxpayer! “We think it is right that people know how much tax they pay and what the Government spends it on”, Gauke said. “At the moment, over half of taxpayers do not know how much income tax and National Insurance they pay in a year. Our new tax calculator will allow them to find out, which is a big step towards a more transparent, 21st century system.”

The tax calculator can be downloaded as a free mobile phone app and is also available on the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)