If you have to complete a self assessment tax return you’ll know that submitting it on time is important.
HMRC have published some of the more silly excuses people have given as to why they didn’t complete their tax return by the SA deadline.
Here’s some of them below:
- My pet goldfish died (self-employed builder)
- A taxi driver stated he had a bad back and couldn’t go upstairs which is where his tax return is
- A farmer from the Midlands said he had a run-in with a cow
- A self employed trader explained his wife wouldn’t give him his mail
- A lady from London couldn’t concentrate on anything else after seeing a volcanic eruption on the news
It’s good to see the funny side to these stories, but all these people were fined for submitting their tax returns after the filing deadline.
HMRC will accept a reasonable excuse as to why you couldn’t submit your tax return on time, but it needs to fit a certain criteria.
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.”
With penalties starting at £100 and increasing quickly the later you leave it, you need to make submitting on time a priority. You can do it on paper, although usually the quickest and easiest process is online.
The deadline for a paper tax return is the 31st October and online is the 31st January.
