LONDON — British tax collectors say a new computer system has revealed that almost 6 million people have paid the wrong amount of income tax, and 1.4 million will be told to repay an average of $2,300 each.
Revenue and Customs officials say 4.3 million people will get a rebate.
The problem affects some of the 40 million people whose income tax is automatically deducted from their paychecks under a system known as Pay As You Earn. The tax agency said Saturday that its computers have found that about $3 billion was underpaid through the system over the past two years, while $2.8 billion was overpaid.
Tax advisers say people who receive the tax demands should seek advice because they may not have to pay if they can prove the mistake was not their fault.
