The construction industry's army of self-employed workers have been left stranded after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) closed its self-assessment helpline for 12 weeks.
The helpline, which is normally open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, was shut down on June 12 and will not reopen until September 4. This means that self-employed construction workers who need help with their tax returns or other queries will have to go without support for the next three months.
This has caused widespread anger and frustration among self-employed construction workers, who say that the closure of the helpline is a major inconvenience and could lead to mistakes being made on their tax returns.
"This is a complete disaster," said one self-employed construction worker. "I've been trying to get through to HMRC for weeks, but I can't get through. I need help with my tax return, but I don't know what to do."
Another self-employed construction worker said: "I'm really worried about making a mistake on my tax return. I've never done one before, and I don't know what I'm doing. I wish the helpline was still open so that I could get some help."
HMRC has defended the closure of the helpline, saying that it is necessary to free up staff to deal with more urgent cases. However, self-employed construction workers are not convinced.
"This is just a way for HMRC to save money," said one worker. "They don't care about us. They just want to make our lives as difficult as possible."
The closure of the helpline is the latest in a series of problems that have faced self-employed construction workers in recent years. In 2019, HMRC introduced a new online tax return system that was plagued with problems. Many self-employed workers were unable to file their tax returns on time, and some were even threatened with penalties.
The closure of the helpline is another blow to self-employed construction workers, who are already facing a number of challenges, including rising costs and a shortage of skilled workers.
"This is just another way for the government to make life harder for us," said one worker. "We're already struggling, and now this. It's just not fair."
The closure of the helpline is a major inconvenience for self-employed construction workers, and it is likely to lead to mistakes being made on tax returns. It is also another sign of the government's neglect of the self-employed sector.
Tax does have to be taxing.Tax Investigation Insurance
Market leading tax fee protection insurance for businesses, sole traders and individuals. Protect yourself from accountancy fees in the event of an HMRC enquiry.
Having a Solar Protect Tax Investigation Insurance policy at your disposal means that should you be one of the many 1000's of businesses or individuals that are selected by HMRC each year to look into your tax affairs your own accountant (your tax return agent) can get on and defend you robustly.
You have the peace of mind knowing that your accountant's (your tax return agent) fees will be paid by the insurance without any Excess for you to find.
Tax Investigation Insurance is an insurance policy that will fully reimburse your accountant's (your tax return agent) fees up to £100,000 if you are subject to enquiry by or dispute with HMRC.
A Solar Protect policy will enable your accountant (your tax return agent) to:
- Deal with any correspondence from HMRC
- Attend any meeting with HMRC
- Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal or Upper Tribunal
- Having the security of knowing that fees will be met in full will enable your Accountant (your tax return agent) to defend your position robustly
Please click here for details.
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"
No comments:
Post a Comment