HMRC are useless..

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For 6 years i've been trying to tell them to stop sending me self assessment tax returns as i haven't been running my own business since 2007. This year, finally, I didn't receive a tax return so thought that they finally got the message....

.....only to receive a £100 fine this morning for not filling in my tax return...

... now i've been on hold for 45 minutes waiting to get through to someone to sort this out.

FFS.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Shame you don't own Vodafone. They'd be falling over themselves to allow you to negotiate several billion pounds off your tax bill.
 
U

User6179

Guest
For 6 years i've been trying to tell them to stop sending me self assessment tax returns as i haven't been running my own business since 2007. This year, finally, I didn't receive a tax return so thought that they finally got the message....

.....only to receive a £100 fine this morning for not filling in my tax return...

... now i've been on hold for 45 minutes waiting to get through to someone to sort this out.

FFS.

They can only fine you up to the amount you owe I believe , so if you owe nothing they cant fine you £100.
They sent me one out because and you have probably done the same need to send in a last tax return with a cessation date even if you made no money in the last year .
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
You can ask HMRC to withdraw the issue of the tax return after the tax year in question by pointing out that you are employed and have no other income. This is clearly what the lady from HMRC has done on your behalf.

This cancels the £100 fine.

What you should have done before all this blew up was to contact HMRC and ask for a formal decision to cease sending out returns as you are employed and all tax is deducted at source and you have no other income. Hopefully the lady at HMRC has processed this as well - but I would still check.

Fines for late tax returns are £100 whether you owe tax or not these days.
 

Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
I could write a book on the problems I have had with HMRC. They have messed up my tax affairs twice now, with serious financial implications and stress. My latest woes are now resolved, but I will never trust them to get things right again. I will have to question everything they do from now on in.
 

subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
I could write a book on the problems I have had with HMRC. They have messed up my tax affairs twice now, with serious financial implications and stress. My latest woes are now resolved, but I will never trust them to get things right again. I will have to question everything they do from now on in.
You do realise that it is your responsibility to ensure that you pay the right amount of tax and not HMRC.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
For 6 years i've been trying to tell them to stop sending me self assessment tax returns as i haven't been running my own business since 2007. This year, finally, I didn't receive a tax return so thought that they finally got the message....

.....only to receive a £100 fine this morning for not filling in my tax return...

... now i've been on hold for 45 minutes waiting to get through to someone to sort this out.

FFS.
I share your pain, and situation.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
You can ask HMRC to withdraw the issue of the tax return after the tax year in question by pointing out that you are employed and have no other income. This is clearly what the lady from HMRC has done on your behalf.

This cancels the £100 fine.

What you should have done before all this blew up was to contact HMRC and ask for a formal decision to cease sending out returns as you are employed and all tax is deducted at source and you have no other income. Hopefully the lady at HMRC has processed this as well - but I would still check.

Fines for late tax returns are £100 whether you owe tax or not these days.
Yep tried that. The late return fines letters just keep coming....
 
OP
OP
Mark1978

Mark1978

Veteran
What you should have done before all this blew up was to contact HMRC and ask for a formal decision to cease sending out returns as you are employed and all tax is deducted at source and you have no other income. Hopefully the lady at HMRC has processed this as well - but I would still check.

Ive done this both through the comments box on the tax return and by phoning them up every year for the last 6 years, the forms just kept on coming

What happens if you fill the form in with zeros?

They keep sending you the damned forms. I've put zeros in all the boxes for the last 6 years running too!!

Hopefully, this will be the end of it, the woman today seemed the most clued up of the lot that i've spoken to over the years.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
You do realise that it is your responsibility to ensure that you pay the right amount of tax and not HMRC.
This is true, but its a ridiculous expectation. Our tax laws are so convoluted that a good accountant/tax lawyer can't keep abreast of the reams of regulations so specialise in one particular area. If someone who trained for 6 years in the subject can't keep abreast of the whole lot, how is Joe Punter supposed to do so?
 
OP
OP
Mark1978

Mark1978

Veteran
Interestingly, for the last 6 years i've been paying tax through PAYE only and have also filled in my tax returns with a load of zeros for the amount i've earned in "secondary income" and the amount i've earned through my employment in the correct boxes. Every year i've had a £50 or so tax rebate. Does that mean that they arent calculating my PAYE correctly?
 

Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
You do realise that it is your responsibility to ensure that you pay the right amount of tax and not HMRC.

It is my responsibility to pay the right amount of tax, up until the point their computer system mysteriously loses one of my (main) employments from their records, resulting in weeks of discussions around the fact that I STILL WORK THERE.

Please repeat your statement?
 
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