British taxpayers with offshore accounts are being given more time to declare their assets by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The New Disclosure Opportunity (NDO), announced earlier this year, offers individuals the chance to come forward with their foreign dealings and face more lenient penalties.
Originally scheduled for a 30 November deadline, this has now been pushed back to 4 January 2010, because financial institutions need more time to inform their offshore clients.
HMRC Permanent Secretary for Tax Dave Hartnett said the decision has been made "in the interests of fairness".
He remarked: "I strongly urge anyone who has been hiding taxable assets offshore to go online and register."
Once the deadline has passed, Mr Hartnett added, HMRC will begin to diligently investigate those who chose not to take advantage of the offer.
Last month, the organisation called on individuals to use a special NDO website set up to make it easier for people to make their accounts known.
