Stupidity of HMRC

[Nathaniel]

You will be interested to note the stupity and waste of public funds (postage etc) in sending me a demand for £2. I don't know what this is on account of but the other letter from the same HMRC states that my self employed/self assessment status has been removed. Quite naturally I have played hell with them as I stopped working in 2009 when I suffered my stroke. I have notified both my MP and George Osborne that this sort of nonsense should STOP.

[jimsphotography]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

What is just as annoying is that HMRC will not put the same effort in chasing up the likes of Starbucks and Amazon. I expect it's micro management by idiot politicians that have messed up most civil service departments.
James

[Nathaniel]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I fully agree James. I really don't know what sort of micro management has been done but I don't owe HMRC a penny as all my business accounts were bang up to date and all taxes paid. I might add, that I did receive a self assessment reminder letter a month ago and wrote back to HMRC with a copy of the letter from Mr.S.Patnaik stating that I will not be "chased" for these returns BUT it looks as if HMRC cannot sort out their own "mess"! For my own part I like to now lead a quiet life enjoying my retired life with my photography, grand children, cricket and so on without getting stressed up unnecessarily with all the other nonsense that appear to mess me up. Will let you know what happens as I am sure other members too will have their own stories to tell!

[jimsphotography]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

You could always get an accountant to sort it out and then get the accounts fee deducted from tax paid on your pension - result they owe you money !
James

[Nathaniel]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

Thanks James. A good idea indeed. The only difficulty I have re my pensions is the fact that they are all taxed at source and I only get the net amount in my bank account. To get a refund of my Accountant's fees from the tax already paid, could be another long drawn out battle.I will wait and see the outcome to my letters to my MP & the Chancellor and take it from there. I can also make a song and dance via the local and national press over the activities of HMRC- waste of public money in that even the officer responsible for generating these letters is wasting "man hours" on unproductive work.

[Redgrape]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

You have my full sympathy over this Nat has I went through something similar a few years after I retired but for a larger amount & even though my tax is taken out by my occupational pension provider & I had provided them with all information it made no difference & they said I had to pay. They took the money out by giving me a different tax code which took them 2 years!

Sue

[Nathaniel]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I agree Sue, that the amount is peanuts and I can most probably close this demand by paying the sum of £2 BUT on principle I am not going to be bullied by departments like the HMRC. The bigger headache is that the request to submit a self assessment tax return which I should not be doing as I wound up my Ltd company in 2009 when I fell ill and the letter from S.Patnaik confirms that. Will keep you all informed what is going on as I am sure that I am not the only one to have a shindig with the HMRC.

[jimsphotography]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I remember reading ( I think it was true but you can never tell these days) about a chap who got a tax demand for £00.00p and they even took him to court before a judge threw it out
James

[Nathaniel]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I think I have read that somewhere as well. I only wish HMRC will take me to court on this so that I can really make a song and dance about wasting public money-I spent a life time auditing public accounts and this is a classic case of throwing money away.

[antoeknee]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

One of my former colleagues sent in self assessment for a few years and there was always a problem with his tax. In frustration he contacted the tax office asking why once again his tax was wrong as he'd submitted the SA. Reply was we can only process about 20% of the forms so the remainder we use last years (or earlier) figures!

Needless to say that didn't help.

[chrisec]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

Nat you have my sympathy Nat, I’ve had years of nonsense from HRMC.

They certainly move in mysterious ways.

[Tigger]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I had the HRMC try to bankrupt me for unpaid taxes for 5 years and had a demand come in for 65k and bankruptcy date!! - I told them I wanted a meeting and took my accountant with me as I knew my taxes were up to date (least the taxes they knew about) ... Getting there we were put into a private office and 3 tax officers came into the room all looking like they wanted my blood ....I gave them the same look back knowing for once I was right

They started by asking why no returns had been put in - My account said they had been and asked to see there paperwork, that was for a cleaning company ...funny I have a website design business !! - They cocked up and got my company name mixed with another, but during the weeks leading up to this I had stress over a meeting with the tax office and a bankruptcy date that was days away

They got the bill from my accountant and paid it, thankfully the £110 per hour rate he charged them was double what he normally charges me ;o) .. the UK tax office can kiss my $%£

[Nathaniel]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

Thanks for your replies and support. Having said that authorities such as HMRC, hositpals, Councils and similar should not unnecessarily STRESS people up without getting their facts right. In my personal case I am expected to lead a sedate,stress free life as part of my on-going therapy but it is such nonsense that gets my goat! It is interesting to note that both the letters I have posted have got the same first post code BX9. So is it a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand has/is doing??

[Woolley]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

Most of the time, I find the right hand doesn't even know what the right hand is doing, never mind the left...

[Redgrape]

Re: Stupidity of HMRC

I know in my case if I had supposedly underpaid by just £4 they would have written it off because some of the problem arose by some change in their software and of course occupational pension plus the AVC's I had and they had not talked to one another so I was left paying for it! It made so angry & cross with the system and it drove my stress levels through the roof! Like Nat says stress really makes my health condition far worse.

Sue