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Excuses, excuses – Best excuses from HMRC

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has revealed the worst excuses it has heard over the previous year from people filing late tax returns.

The list, which was released ahead of the 31 January deadline for filing tax returns online, contains claims that were used in unsuccessful appeals against penalties imposed for late returns. Failed excuses included:

 

An initial fixed £100 penalty is charged for late tax returns, even if there is no tax to pay, followed by further penalties if the return remains outstanding. HMRC has said that it will not accept spurious excuses for late returns, but recognises that some taxpayers may have difficulties completing them on time.

HMRC has also produced a compendium of personal expenses claims included in 2013/14 Self-Assessment tax returns. They are:

 

“There are a number of items and expenses that people can claim against, such as genuine business costs and items needed to do a job. But a painful beauty regime or the furniture for your own home are not items that every taxpayer in the country should be contributing towards. It’s wrong that a small minority of people expect the honest majority to subsidise their lifestyle and HMRC will never allow for these to be processed as genuine claims.”
Ruth Owen HMRC Director General of Personal Tax

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