Huddersfield people filing their tax returns in late better have a REALLY good excuse.
HM Revenue & Customs has revealed some of the unlikely excuses given by Self Assessment customers for failing to complete their tax return on time. All were used in unsuccessful appeals against HMRC penalties for late returns.
They include: “My tax return was on my yacht, which caught fire” and “a wasp in my car caused me to have an accident and my tax return, which was inside, was destroyed”.
Another said: “I couldn’t complete my tax return because my husband left me and took our accountant with him. I am currently trying to find a new accountant”.
The deadline for sending 2015-16 Self Assessment tax returns to HMRC and paying any tax owed is January 31, 2017. There are 40,000 people registered for Self Assessment in Huddersfield.
Nick Brook, of TaxAssist Accountants in Lockwood, said almost a million UK taxpayers received immediate £100 penalties for missing the deadline each year. Returns three months late faced an additional £10 a day penalty up to £900 with even harsher penalties are applied if the delay is over six months. He said: “The future of tax collection, including replacing the annual tax return with quarterly reporting and a new points-based penalty system, are still being debated, but in the meantime we urge the local business community not to leave it too late.”
