Thursday 12 March 2009

Taxpayers Wrongly Penalised

I Am The Law
It seems that up to 20,000 taxpayers have wrongly been fined £100 for late filing, despite submitting their returns on time.

Baker Tilly said it realised HMRC had issued a "large number" of incorrect penalty notices when many of its clients, whose returns were filed before the January 31 deadline for online returns, received notices they would be fined.

Baker Tilly contacted HMRC, and was told by one office that the complaints about incorrect penalties had been "added to the growing pile".

A spokesman for HMRC is quoted in The Telegraph:

"No one who submits a return on time will ever have to pay a penalty. We certainly don't want any payments that we have no right to."

Anyone know why the system issued the penalty notices in the first place?

Tax does have to be taxing.

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7 comments:

  1. Penalties cock-ups... you aint seen nothing yet. Just wait until HMRC's shiny new penalty regime begins. It's a farking minefield... you have been warned. Aye Capt Mainwaring, we are all doomed!!!

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  2. There are three partners in our family business, two of us received £100 penalties for late partnership filing whilst the other got a £800 overpayment notice! FFS! What a Shambles the HMRC are.

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  3. "There are three partners in our family business, two of us received £100 penalties for late partnership filing whilst the other got a £800 overpayment notice! FFS! What a Shambles the HMRC are."

    Could that be because the Return was late (or appeared to be late) penalties were issued - the third partner was in a credit position so not subject to a penalty. It would be shambolic if the third partner was issued with a penalty and an overpayment notice.

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  4. Partnership penalties are given to everyone involved in the partnership. A £100 penalty would still be given to the person who was in credit as partnership penalty charges aren't based on a persons liability, they are simply based on if the return was received by the relevant deadline.

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  5. I filed my return online in September and got a penalty notice last week. I wrote to dispute it and got another bill by return.
    Wankers.

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  6. As far as penalties are concerned, just make an appeal with a reasonable excuse. I have seen "my mum posted it late" accepted. Its all good fun here.

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