HMRC Tax Demand
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Discussion

ExChrispy Porker

Original Poster:

17,733 posts

258 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
Having submitted my self assessment form in good time, like a good citizen, I was a bit surprised to receive a tax demand today for





































the extortionate sum of







20p.


Yes, 20 bloody pence.


I wonder how much it cost to send me the letter.
Any suggestions about the form my payment should take. ( I have until next year to save up)

selwonk

2,143 posts

255 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
20 1p coins taped to a piece of paper?

selwonk

2,143 posts

255 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
selwonk said:
20 1p coins taped to a piece of paper?
In fact, stuck to a piece of card using a hot glue gun!

ExChrispy Porker

Original Poster:

17,733 posts

258 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
I should add that the letter includes dire warnings about penalties and interest should I fail to pay on time.

selwonk

2,143 posts

255 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
They are utter cockwombles.

mko9

2,990 posts

242 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
Send it in a day late with 21p taped to a piece of paper

Slaav

4,375 posts

240 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
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For comedy value do one of two things:

A) ASk for time to pay with a straight voice and see what they say - if they agree to send you a 'time to pay' form or whatever they are called, ask for their name

B) DOnt pay and see if they follow up or chase you....



And before anyone says the usual 'wasting time' or 'no wonder the country is in the state if you are going to waste their time' etc, just think about it for a bit smile

MilnerR

8,273 posts

288 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
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When my wife was made redundant she looked into tax credits we might be entitled to. It turned out we could claim about £3 but were told that they didn't pay such small sums due to admin costs which seemed very sensible. Shame common sense doesn't apply when money is going the other way!

anonymous-user

84 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
obviously, write them a cheque for 22p and ask then apply for a tax rebate.

gr1m reaper

146 posts

241 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
selwonk said:
They are utter cockwombles.
And that's putting it lightly

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
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They're imbeciles. Last year I was a bit skint and phoned them to let them know I couldn't pay my tax return on time, but that they'd have the money a couple of months later. The people on the phone were fine about that, unfortunately the envelope-lickers decided to threaten to auction off my belongings if I didn't pay.

Also, why do businesses on flat-rate VAT still have to fill out VAT returns? Why can't it be added to my tax return as a percentage of turnover? Or is that just too simple for them?

audidoody

8,598 posts

286 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
10 post-dated cheques?

audidoody

8,598 posts

286 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
10 post-dated cheques?

anonymous-user

84 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
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I thought if it was under a certain amount they automatically added it to your tax code for next year?

Having been "non resident" for the past 2 years and actually due a refund I have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly they have deposit the cash in my account. This year I did my return online on April 8 and the cash was nestling in my account by 20th.

kprm77

417 posts

291 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
I was mildy pleased to receive a £50 or so rebate relating to my self assessment for the year ending Apr 2010 (back in December last year).

I was less than pleased today, to receive a Self Assessment Late Tax Return Penalty Notice, with a fine for £100. This, as you may have guessed, relates to the Self Assessment RTN for the year ending Apr 2010. You know, the one they processed and decided I needed a £50 rebate for.

Does anyone who works for the tax office frequent these forums? How can they be so disorganised, disjointed and downright incompetent? On past experience it's no surprise, but still hugely vexing to say the least.

Almost forgot - they send out this £100 penalty notice saying I had to pay within 30 days of the date of the letter. The letter was received this morning (23rd June), and dated the 7th June. Efficiency for you. Really glad these people have such good pensions to look forward to. rolleyes

Allanv

3,540 posts

216 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
I got a letter from them as I did file late and they wanted a grand sum of 0.00 WTF was the point of sending it and wasting the postage useless s.

rs1952

5,247 posts

289 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
This is the problem you get when you have computer software set up to send standard letters. I doubt that any real person in HMRC has seen your letter - its simply been printed off, automatically bunged in an envelope, franked and sent out.

Reminds me of a time in the early 1980s when, for my sins, I was chasing rent arrears for a local council for a couple of years. It wasn't totally automated in those days - the computer printed a sticky label with an address and an arrears amount on it, and you used your own judgement whether to attach said sticky label to a standard letter.

In those days, rent rebates were recalculated twice a year (April and late November), and people who paid their rent by standing order wouldn't have the time to amend their rent payments before the December standing order came out of their account. This often meant that these people were technically a few pence in arrears in December, but obviously letters were never sent to them because it would all be sorted as part of the January payment.

I had a couple of weeks leave over this period in 1982 and when I got back found that my manager (MANAGER, mind you rolleyes ) had arranged for all the sticky labels to be attached to letters and sent out. So my ear was pretty sore after a couple of daya on the blower parrying variations on "You fking tit - you've send me a letter telling me I'm fourpence in arrears"

An example of what happens when you don't apply common sense to automated processes.

Riley Blue

23,205 posts

256 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
Allanv said:
I got a letter from them as I did file late and they wanted a grand sum of 0.00 WTF was the point of sending it and wasting the postage useless s.
I received that letter last year; I wonder how many thousands of others did too.

Mojocvh

16,837 posts

292 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
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Believe me, they are nothing compared to my council tax office, NOTHING.

Deva Link

26,934 posts

275 months

Thursday 23rd June 2011
quotequote all
rs1952 said:
This is the problem you get when you have computer software set up to send standard letters. I doubt that any real person in HMRC has seen your letter - its simply been printed off, automatically bunged in an envelope, franked and sent out.
...that's exactly what happens. Unless the computer flags up a query, no human touches the form (even if you send the return in, it just gets scanned).

The system shouldn't send out small demands, but some slip through.