Pro Installer January 2014 - Issue 10 | страница 48

48

JANUARY 2014 PRO INSTALLER

It’s awfully hard to
concentrate after
seeing a volcanic
eruption on the
news...

Sometimes it can
just be one step too
far when you have a
bad back...

Revenue reveals
‘Top 10 oddest
excuses’ for late
tax returns
With the 31st January tax return deadline just around the
corner, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed the
‘Top 10 oddest excuses’ for sending in a late return.
The following bizarre,
exotic and flimsy excuses have all been used
by tardy taxpayers:

1. My pet goldfish died
(self-employed builder);
2. I had a run-in with a
cow (Midlands farmer);

Day-to-day tasks can be hard after
the passing of your pet goldfish...

3. After seeing a
volcanic eruption on the
news, I couldn’t concentrate on anything else
(London woman);
4. My wife won’t give
me my mail (self-employed trader);
5. My husband told
me the deadline was 31st
March, and I believed
him (Leicester hairdresser);
6. I’ve been far too
busy touring the country
with my one-man play
(Coventry writer);
7. My bad back means
I can’t go upstairs. That’s
where my tax return is (a
working taxi driver);
8. I’ve been cruising
round the world in my
yacht, and only picking
up post when I’m on dry
land (South East man);

9. Our business doesn’t
really do anything (Kent financial services firm); and
10. I’ve been too busy
submitting my clients’ tax
returns (London accountant).
All of these people and
businesses received a £100
penalty from HMRC for
filing late. They appealed
against the decision using
these excuses, but were
unsuccessful.
HMRC’s Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth
Owen, said:
“There will always be unforeseen events that mean a
taxpayer could not file their
tax return on time. However, your pet goldfish passing
away isn’t one of them.”
“If you haven’t yet sent
your 2012/13 tax return to
HMRC, you need to do it

Watch out for
these tricky
customers in
January...
online and pay the tax you
owe by the end of January. With all the help and
advice available, there’s no
excuse not to.”
To send an online tax
retur n, you must be registered for HMRC Online Services. This involves HMRC
sending you an Activation
Code in the post, so allow
a few days for this to arrive. To register for HMRC
Online Services go to

www.hmrc.gov.uk/online
and follow the on-screen
instructions.
For general help and
advice on completing a
return, visit www.hmrc.
gov.uk/sa or call the Self
Assessment helpline on
0300 200 3310 (open
8.00am to 8.00pm,
Monday to Friday, and
from 8.00am to 4.00pm
on Saturdays).