Friday 30 January 2015

Helpline "Absolutely Brilliant!"



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

31 January Tax Deadline


The deadline of 31 January for submitting online tax returns for tax year end 2014 is almost upon us.

Last year, according to HMRC, 6% of all of the UK’s tax returns (more than half a million returns) were sent in on deadline day itself.

Why do people leave it to the last minute?

Many reasons including, but not limited to:

- human nature, putting off a tedious task
- a reluctance to commit to something on record which will involve the payment of money to the state
- financial situation for the coming year not yet clear
- illness
- ignorance
- first year of trading 
- records gone awry etc

In short a hole myriad of reasons (some understandable, some less so), none of which are suited to an automated system hungry for money.

Good luck to all who have yet to file, and to HMRC staff who have to cope with the annual surge.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Thursday 29 January 2015

Tax Avoidance - The Great Leveller


Contrary to what some in the media would have us believe it is not just "evil" mega corporations that seek to reduce their tax bills via tax avoidance schemes, but honest hard working ex Labour MPs.

Step forward Peter Mandelson.

Avoidance is the great leveller, putting politicians and corporations on the same field. Thus I am often gemused as to why some MPs keep bleating about avoidance, given that they and their accountants are happily doing their best to legally reduce their personal tax bills.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Reasonable Excuses For Late Filing


As the deadline for online filing is almost upon us, there will be taxpayers who miss the deadline and will face a fine.

Here are a list of "reasonable" excuses that HMRC will "consider" (but not necessarily accept) as mitigation against incurring a fine , as per the Telegraph:

• Your partner died shortly before the tax return or payment deadline
• You had an unexpected stay in hospital that prevented you from dealing with your tax affairs
• Your computer or software failed just before or while you were preparing your online return
• There were “service issues” with HMRC’s website
• A fire prevented you from completing your tax return
• Postal delays that you could not have predicted

Good luck to all who have yet to file!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tuesday 27 January 2015

HMRC Aspires To Havoc


As loyal readers know, HMRC's Aspire contract is regularly given a sound and well deserved kicking by various organs (eg NAO).

This time it falls to PAC to kick the bloated corpse that is Aspire.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that HMRC faces an “enormous challenge” in adapting its IT services contract, a change that could cause “havoc” to public finances.

New contract rules set out by the Cabinet Office will require HMRC to move to a short-term contracting model.

Richard Bacon, PAC member and Conservative MP for South Norfolk, is quoted by economia:
HMRC faces an enormous challenge in moving to a new contracting model by 2017, with many short-duration contracts with multiple suppliers, and appears complacent given the scale of the transformation required. 

Moreover, HMRC’s record in managing IT contractors gives us little confidence that HMRC can successfully achieve this transition or that it can manage the proposed model effectively to maximise value for money.” 
He added that HMRC appeared “overly complacent” given the scale of the required transformation.
Failure to collect taxes efficiently would create havoc with the public finances.”
PAC recommended that HMRC develops and produces a realistic plan as to how it would – along with the Cabinet Office – implement the transition.

HMRC are not worried. An HMRC spokesperson said:
We are making significant progress in preparing for a smooth and effective transition from the Aspire contract, which will give HMRC control over the development and delivery of digital services and enable us to make efficiencies of up to 25 per cent by 2021. 

We have already opened one new HMRC digital delivery centre in Newcastle, and have plans for others to increase our in-house digital capability, and in December we agreed an amendment to Aspire which allows us to contract services directly with major IT suppliers.”
No worries then!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Monday 26 January 2015

Abysmal


A survey conducted by the ICAEW has found that around 33% of accountants who responded are of the view that the service provided by HMRC has deteriorated over the least year.

Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that HMRC staff were unable to do things correctly first time. Tax agents also said it took too long to answer the post or pick up the phone.

Paul Aplin, tax partner of AC Mole & Sons, is quoted in the FT:
My worry is that poor telephone service will impact on people’s willingness to pay tax.

You can do more with less up to a point but I simply do not believe that the decline in service standards is unrelated to 10 years of cuts.”
Martin Bryars of Bryars & Co, described HMRC telephone service as “abysmal”. He said he had been automatically cut off after holding on for 30 minutes last Tuesday. The service was “very frustrating and costly in terms of time” and had worsened over the past two or three years.

HMRC said:
We are working hard to further improve our handling of customer calls and have moved up to 1,500 extra people on to the phones during January as the self-assessment deadline approaches.
HMRC believes that the future lies online; costs and errors will be reduced by moving services online (eg tax forms will be pre-populated with taxpayers' employment information).

This may improve some aspects of the communication flows between some taxpayers and HMRC. However, not all taxpayers are tax savvy nor do they all have access to the internet.

Robin Williamson of the Low Income Tax Reform Group said:
The digital strategy is not going to succeed in the short to medium term unless digital speeds increase.” 
We shall see.

As loyal readers have noted in the past, if the underlying systems within HMRC (eg desktops and basic operating systems etc) are out of date and don't communicate with each other then there will continue to be problems.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Friday 23 January 2015

Fake HMRC Emails



As the online tax return deadline looms, there are criminals intent on milking this as an opportunity for their own gain. As such, the internet is awash with scam emails purporting to come from HMRC wrt tax returns.

Indeed, my email box this morning contained a veritable smorgasbord of emails "querying my tax return".

HMRC do not send out emails like this, do not under any circumstances reply or send your personal details to any such emails.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Thursday 22 January 2015

HMRC Loses Tax Records


Those of you with long memories will recall datagate 2007, when HMRC lost data records of around 25 million people.

Stepping forward to 2015 and HMRC have managed to lose some more data (not of 25 million people, but data of one person). Unfortunately for HMRC the data they lost is that relating to David Savil who is an accountant and head of Bishop Fleming a business services firm.

Mr Savil (who has not moved home for 17 years) received a letter from HMRC telling him that HMRC was "unable to trace" his records.


He is quoted by Accountancy Age:

"Having paid considerable sums in tax every year for three decades, and not having moved home for 17 years, I could not believe that HMRC has managed to lose my tax record.

Despite the millions of tax assessments that they get wrong each year, HMRC has been seeking the power to grab funds from our bank accounts. I'm an accountant, so I've been ardent in providing HMRC with my tax submissions every year. But, somehow, they've managed to lose track of me on their radar screen.

If they can make so simple an error in my case, it underlines my belief that they should not be permitted to have their proposed power to grab money from the bank accounts of tax-payers that they decide have under-paid."
HMRC has been asked for comment.

Does anyone have any viable theories as to how long standing tax records can simply vanish like this?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Eight Year Tax Credit Fraud

Bolanle Shote, a former HMRC employee, has been jailed for eight months for fraudulently claiming over £86,000 in tax credits.

Citywire reports that Shote, from Basildon, Essex, made multiple false claims for tax credits by saying that she was a single parent, when in reality she was a mother of three who had lived with her partner for around 10 years.

Shote was charged on 8 August 2014 and on 21 November 2014 she pleaded guilty to 10 offences of dishonestly claiming tax credits. She resigned from HMRC on 15 November 2013.

Sentencing Shote, His Honour Judge Graham said:
This was a fraud from the outset which continued for over eight years and this, together with the amount involved, means that I have no option but to impose an immediate custodial sentence.
Cheryl Turton, a senior manager at HMRC, said:
What makes this fraud even more despicable is that Shote was employed by HMRC and knew full well that lying about her personal circumstances was fraud.’

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Coding Matters


It seems that the thorny issue of tax codes has raised its head again.

The Telegraph reports that up to three million people with more than one source of income face backdated tax bills of £2,000 per year, because of errors by HMRC.


Among those most likely to be affected are veterans who have taken a civilian job after leaving the Armed Forces, but who also draw a military pension. Pensioners with two pensions and those who have continued to work part-time after retirement are also more likely to be hit.

It seems part of the problem lies with a the fact that tax offices around Britain are failing to share information about taxpayers’ incomes on a central database.
    HMRC insists that the problem is not “systematic”, and says the vast majority of tax codes are correct. However, professional tax advisors are seeing a rise in cases where incorrect tax codes have been issued.


    Clive Stevens, the executive chairman of accountancy practice Reeves, who sits on the council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, is quoted:
    Often when people have two sources of income, two tax codes are issued by separate HMRC offices, each acting on the basis of information given to them by an employer, pension provider or the taxpayer directly. 

    Clerical errors are made because the workforce, which has suffered sweeping redundancies, is demoralised and the required attention to detail and care is not there.

    In my experience, up to three out of five PAYE codes that we see in our office are incorrect when first issued. In the worst cases, it has taken 10 attempts to get a correct code from HMRC.”

    An HMRC spokesman said such problems should have ceased since the introduction of centralised record-keeping in 2009, adding:
    Over 98 per cent of tax codes are correct and the vast majority of people who pay their tax through the PAYE system on either earned income or pensions pay the right tax.”
    Alastair Rush, of financial advice firm Echelon Wealthcare, said the situation is worsening.
    HMRC seems to be imbued with the concept that it’s infallible.

    It prefers to pretend the system works just fine when we all know it doesn’t.

    It produces errors with almost casual disinterest which cause a huge mess for clients, families and their employers. I wish it would hold itself to the same measure of accountability that it attaches to its customers.

    When errors are identified, HMRC is demanding back payments even where, under concessions (ESCA19) aimed to protect taxpayers, it has no right to the money because it was at fault. However, HMRC is unmoved and insists that "due to improved processes", it would only now apply in “very unusual circumstances”.

    Views and comment from the frontline are, as always, very welcome!

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Monday 19 January 2015

    Building Our Future II - 650 HMRC Staff Made Redundant


    Last week HMRC announced that 650 people across 70 offices in the UK will be made redundant.

    As per PCS:
    "This includes almost 200 administrative workers in 'local compliance' offices, helping to ensure taxpayers pay what is due.

    It means officials in higher grades will have to spend more time on support work, such as handling post and taking deliveries, leaving them less time for their normal duties."
    Meanwhile, a loyal reader advises me that members of the public are turning up his HMRC office doorstep wanting help on tax related matters.

    Fair enough, except that this particular office is undergoing an internal move/reorganisation, wherein 130 staff are being shifted to 2 floors with "tiny desks". Thus they are a tad tied up.

    The task of the day, so that they can fit into their tiny desks and less space, being "declutter"!

    In other news Building Our Future II is looming, wherein the laptops required for the event are delivered only one day beforehand (so as to maintain secrecy).


    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Friday 16 January 2015

    HMRC Reaches Out To Young Men


    According to HMRC, young men working in the communications industry are the most likely to miss the 31 January tax return deadline.

    Data from returns made last year showed that men were most likely to file late.

    Those aged between 18 and 20 and living in London were the worst offenders.

    Ruth Owen is quoted by the BBC:
    "Whatever your gender, age, occupation or location, if you haven't sent in your 2013-14 tax return, you need to take action now. Don't leave it until the last minute to contact us. Do it now, and avoid a last-minute rush to beat the deadline."
    Young men of Britain, do your duty for Queen and country; file your tax return on time!

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Thursday 15 January 2015

    Phone Fun With HMRC


    Kudos to HMRC for displaying a sense of humour wrt its agent helplines.

    As per AccountingWeb one particular helpline had a recorded message that had been advising callers that "the number will be changing". However, the number the message was telling the caller to phone was the one that the member had originally dialled.

    ROFLOL!

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Tuesday 13 January 2015

    Too Costly To Reveal Costs of Rangers Case


    HMRC has refused to reveal the costs of its ongoing five year action against Rangers, on the grounds that it would cost too much to find out the costs.


    Despite worrying about the costs of disclosing costs, HMRC has confirmed it will contest the decision of an upper-tier tax tribunal to uphold an earlier ruling on what is known as the Big Tax Case. HMRC wants to pursue the club as a matter of principle, and there is a ­procedural hearing on its latest appeal on February 3.

    The ruling that HMRC is contesting said that Rangers' use of employee benefit trust (EBT) loans to players and other staff was legal, and payments were not taxable.

    Chris Graham, of the Union of Fans, the Rangers supporters ­coalition, is quoted by the Herald Scotland:
    "This is extraordinary. Lawyers are ­meticulous about things like that, they clock all the time they spend on a particular client.

    There are question marks over why they are continuing to pursue this when we know they have been offered to settle."
    When asked what the costs were to date of pursuing the tax case HMRC, a representative said:
    "HMRC holds information that falls within the scope of your request. However, we estimate that it would exceed the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) cost limit to deal with it."
    That limit, he said, was the cost of one person working for three-and-a-half days.
    "Normally, HMRC would explore with you how you might be able to narrow or refine your request so that it did not exceed the FOIA cost limit. However, in this case, I cannot see any scope for doing this.
    Even if we had been able to find and extract all the information in the scope of your request, we would never release anything which could be linked to an identifiable person; be that an individual, company or any other entity."
    It's not HMRC's money, it's taxpayers' money; taxpayers have the right to know what government organs are spending their money on.

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Monday 12 January 2015

    Tax Jargon Confusing


    According to a survey recently published by Which?, 38% of people who fill in their tax return online struggle with jargon on the HMRC website and find it confusing.

    In the survey 32% of respondents found the tax form difficult to complete, and 39% said they needed to use guidance and information from sources other than HMRC to help complete their tax return.

    Frankly I am surprised that the figure is so low!

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Friday 9 January 2015

    Tax Professor Gives Up On HMRC




    Our complex and unworkable tax system will only improve as and when politicians are forced to complete their own tax returns without any help from their accountants!  

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Tuesday 6 January 2015

    Worst Excuses For Late Filing


    HMRC have published what, in its view, constitutes the most terrible excuses for missing the 31 January tax return deadline.

    The excuses were all used in unsuccessful appeals against HMRC penalties for late filing and payment. Here is the full list as per HMRC:
    • My pet dog ate my tax return…and all the reminders.
    • I was up a mountain in Wales, and couldn’t find a postbox or get an internet signal.
    • I fell in with the wrong crowd.
    • I’ve been travelling the world, trying to escape from a foreign intelligence agency.
    • Barack Obama is in charge of my finances.
    • I’ve been busy looking after a flock of escaped parrots and some fox cubs.
    • A work colleague borrowed my tax return, to photocopy it, and didn’t give it back.
    • I live in a camper van in a supermarket car park.
    • My girlfriend’s pregnant.
    • I was in Australia.
    HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said:
    "People can have a genuine excuse for missing a tax deadline, but owning a pet with a taste for HMRC envelopes isn’t one of them.

    You need to file your 2013/14 tax return online, and pay what you owe, by 31 January. But it’s best to do it now, to allow plenty of time to sort out any issues with your return. That way, you’ll avoid the busy period for our phone lines as the deadline approaches."
    There can be of course genuine and valid reasons for late/non submission of tax returns.

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Monday 5 January 2015

    Say It With Flowers

    My thanks to a loyal reader who advises me that HMRC sends floral apologies, sometimes, when it makes mistakes.

    The Mail reports that between January 2009 and July 2014, HMRC has sent 106 bouquets by way of an apology.

    Has any loyal reader ever received such a bouquet?

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

    Thursday 1 January 2015

    Tweet Off!


    I see that HMRC is now taking so long to answer the phones that it has advised people to tweet it their tax queries.

    If only the tax forms were that simple, so that all they required was a maximum of 140 characters to complete them!

    Tax does have to be taxing.

    Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

    Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

    Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

    However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

    What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

    Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

    To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



    HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"