When HMRC published its MTD software supplier ‘list’ in March, only two names were on it. Everyone in the industry had heard of IRIS. But Rhino, was less well known. Even slightly mysterious… a bit out of left-field.
Well, the Leicestershire-based group has come out of hiding so to speak, to share a bit of information on the company and the product.
Let’s get straight to it: Rhino integrates directly into the Making Tax Digital platform and allows a business to submit its own returns, says the company.
The man behind Rhino app for MTD
“Direct access for HMRC updates makes return submissions easier, faster and cheaper for Rhino’s user base of sole traders, small and medium sized businesses,” adds a company spokesperson.
Eugene Blaine is the man behind Rhino. An experienced and successful software entrepreneur, he started his first software company, Atlantic Global, in 1993, building enterprise software solutions for the corporate sector.
He took the group public in 2001 on the LSE AIM Market. In 2012, Atlantic Global was acquired by KeyedIn Solutions, a leading US based cloud software company led by George and Lauri Klaus.
Working closely with HMRC
Following the sale, Eugene retired (for three full days) before deciding to embark on this latest venture. The developers of Rhino app worked closely with HMRC to design and build the new platform.
“Significantly, the Rhino App package was designed from the ground up for use on smartphones and tablet platforms. It operates conveniently and seamlessly across a user’s mobile devices and popular web browsers.
“Unlike other accounting apps, Rhino provides its full feature set via the mobile device. Functionality includes estimating, invoicing, expense tracking and financial management. And now the app integrates directly with HMRC for direct submission to save businesses time and cost,” says the company.
Several popular business areas
The app offers selectable configurations featuring sector-specific terminology for several popular business areas, such as retail, building trades and professional services
Blaine, drew on years of corporate software development expertise to re-engineer the pivotal features of those solutions to an agile mobile platform. “We wanted to stand up for small business and help drive success by making the Rhino app powerful but incredibly easy to use,” he says. “With that goal achieved, Rhino users can reduce their accounting fees and tax bills.”
The simplicity of the Rhino app means it’s a big time saver for small traders. “Rhino can give them their evenings and weekends back. That’s the tangible measure of success,” adds Blaine.