Why is the goldfish so alarmed? Well, this year some eight million British
taxpayers are facing self-assessment—a system akin to institutionalised
mugging. Other pages on the site helpfully lay out the new system’s deadlines
and offer a screensaver featuring a “penalty shoot-out” with the taxman. But
what are the penalties for missing the deadlines? There is no point trying the
frequently asked questions page, which is still “under construction”. So
Netropolitan had to turn to old technology—the telephone—for an
answer. “We are working on a leaflet,” says Hector’s spokesperson—a
female.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
4
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
5
We’re not the most successful human species
6
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
7
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
8
Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible
9
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
10
Have scientists really made a living cell from scratch? Not quite



