The Top 10 Excuses for a Late Tax Return

Courtesy of HMRC…

The following bizarre, exotic and flimsy excuses have all been used by tardy taxpayers who have been late in lodging their tax return:

1. My pet goldfish died (courtesy of a self-employed builder)
2. I had a run-in with a cow (Midlands farmer)
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 31 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)
10. I’ve been too busy submitting my clients’ tax returns (London accountant)

All of these people and businesses received a £100 penalty from HM Revenue and Customs (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 to 2013 tax return to HMRC, you need to do it 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.”

—–

Better still, we recommend using a skilled and qualified accountant – such as Nicolson Accountancy – to minimise your tax liabilities.

We can never guarantee to get penalties waived, but where genuine and reasonable circumstances arise, we can help you attempt to mitigate them.