I think my biggest gripe with HMRC is the way they merrily chuck out fines for being late for this and that. Surely, they should pay a fine to me if they waste my time/fail to repay money owed to me late/make mistakes. It would seem not.
I was due £300 so filled in the account form for the refund, and though they dealt with the refund processing, they have somehow managed to pay it to my Lloyds account, when I dont even have one - should have been Nationwide, and they had the right sort code, how how did this happen? Now i have to wait for lloyds to return the money before they can pay it to me again. Might take six weeks. If this were reversed, it would be £100 fine for me immediately - the least they should do is compensate me in similar fashion for their own uselessness.
Moral is - always ask for a payable warrant back from them: at least you arent subject to this kind of adminostrative screw up.
Surprise, four phone calls later, involving over an hour of holding time, I have discovered that Lloyds returned the money on August 8th but I am still waiting for a cheque or a much-promised call back to explain why the issuing office hasn't actually lived up to its name. I owe them about £10k in January for SA and CT. That could be interesting if I'm still waiting.
And now...these clowns have just sent me an income tax refund of £729 for 2011/12 despite the fact that I did my ITR online in June and it clearly shows I need to pay them £4600 by the end of January. Beggars belief!
Twice in 2012, I was issued with penalty notices for late returns of various types. I called them on their pay-per-minute number to complain and after waiting 10 minutes or so I was told that it was all fine. Who pays the premium phone bill - me.
I just wish I could issue HMRC with a penalty notice for £100 on every occasion they waste my time.
And now...these clowns have just sent me an income tax refund of £729 for 2011/12 despite the fact that I did my ITR online in June and it clearly shows I need to pay them £4600 by the end of January. Beggars belief!
Wish they were equally incompetent on my taxes. Buggers keep on and on for more.
Found out last week about the ridiculous way in which they are handling the child benefit changes. You will continue to receive the full amount but then you get taxed back anything you aren't entitled to. Honestly, who thought of that?
Her Majesty's finest sent the heavy mob round to one of my clients this week for an unpaid debt.
The client is understandably annoyed because he knows he owes some money, but we're still waiting for them to make a final decision as to how much. We've been in constant dialogue with them about it and had their assurances that all recovery action was on hold.
Then two goons turn up and start walking around the office noting down all of the office furniture, computers, coffee machines, etc and serving them with a walking possession notice. Imagine how you would feel if some debt collectors turned up where you worked and started doing that - doesn't look good does it?
I've gone all Guns of the Navarone with them. To be fair, the bloke we deal with there has been very apologetic and has vowed to get it sorted, but the damage has potentially already been done because some tosser never read their file properly. But nothing will happen to them and they're free to do it again. That's just not right.
Offy, this is happening more and more for very small debts! It's because HMRC have outsourced debt collection to commercial agencies. These people have no tax knowledge or experience they are basically hired thugs, hired by a Government department! Best advice, complain direct to clients MP and claim compo from HMRC.
Having major battles with them at the moment: Could lose my flat over less than £10k they say I owe (I do owe them, but nowhere near this amount). They're going for bankruptcy, the flat is solely in my name. Got court date on the 19th.
Having major battles with them at the moment: Could lose my flat over less than £10k they say I owe (I do owe them, but nowhere near this amount). They're going for bankruptcy, the flat is solely in my name. Got court date on the 19th.
Good luck MoG. They do make up figures sometimes, just to get a reaction I think - when I was not earning any money and therefore had stopped paying tax from my company, they arbitrarily invented an amount owing.
Thanks FF, OR & SL. Still not sure it was the right thing to "announce" this on this forum, but it really is getting me down. This is all going back nearly 10 years, I've paid the amounts I've been charged, except £121, which I queried. Sounds obvious, but check the bills these people send you, as Saga says, I'm sure they guess some of the numbers.
Thanks FF, OR & SL. Still not sure it was the right thing to "announce" this on this forum, but it really is getting me down. This is all going back nearly 10 years, I've paid the amounts I've been charged, except £121, which I queried. Sounds obvious, but check the bills these people send you, as Saga says, I'm sure they guess some of the numbers.
Absolutely they do. The number of errors never reduces, and in my experience they tend to be in their favour, though not always. Either way it's a pain to sort out. If you are deficient, you get a straight £100 fine, but they should be subject to the same regime and pay that out for their own errors. I'd be a lot better off if that were the case.
Thanks FF, OR & SL. Still not sure it was the right thing to "announce" this on this forum, but it really is getting me down. This is all going back nearly 10 years, I've paid the amounts I've been charged, except £121, which I queried. Sounds obvious, but check the bills these people send you, as Saga says, I'm sure they guess some of the numbers.
MoG - the very best of luck for the 19th. Please note I have PMed you.
they should f++k off and get hold of the millions owed by companies and the crooks who havnt paid up EVER.
I had issues with HMRC "investigation of tax etc" got an Accountant who hammered them year in year out---i still pay , but they dropped their investigation
Just had a 'statement of liabilities' saying that 'they don't appear to have received my NIC's and Tax' for the past 3 months, despite my paying through their own system online, with receipts to prove it.
Spoke to some half-wit on the number they told me to ring, who said that they couldn't deal with it at that office. Suggested I call Newcastle Customer Team.
'Have you got the number?' 'No sorry' 'Can you give me a fax number then?'. 'No we don't have one'.
Hard nosed and completely inept, I have to wonder where they get these people from.
I'll stick to my original plan of a recorded delivery to the numpty who sent it in the first place. What a waste of fucking time!
NB Always keep a record of every conversation,letter,fax etc.
They are basically useless and, rather like our fluorescent jacket clad steward friends, revel in trying to intimidate what they see as a soft, vulnerable target.
I was sent a cheque for more than £500 by HMRC a few months ago, the explanation being that my employer had deducted too much tax. I knew very well that was not the case as I have a benefit in kind and the cheque was the tax that was (correctly) deducted as a result of that. I duly sent the cheque back to them.
However, without being bigheaded, I know a little bit about the system and how it works. If I did not I could quite easily, in good faith, have cashed this cheque and spent the money.
I would then have been open to the bully boy tactics described above through no fault of my own.
EDIT: For those that know about these things Form P11D had been sent in by the appropiate deadline. The HMRC left hand simply did not know what the right hand was doing.
Yep they are more worried about a few hundred quid here & there than getting to grips with the large companies who are screwing this country.
I'm afraid "free movement of capital" under EU law has put the kybosh on us collecting from them. Hence the persecution of "the little people" to try and bleed a bit more from them.
Came across this thread just after speaking to my eldest. Bear with me I do get to a sort of point in the end...
Her and partner privately rent a three bed house (Kent). It was not in the best condition but struck a deal with the Chinese landlord that her fella, a window fitter by trade, would do some upgrades and the rent was reduced accordingly. Like a lot of young couples, money is tight, the place was near to his family and they settled in nicely. She is 3 months pregnant after a number of problems conceiving in the past, so has got a bit to worry about atm.
She gets a solicitors letter on Friday stating that the Landlord has been made bankrupt and that they intend to sell the house . Too late to call, she waited the weekend and called the office this morning.
Turns out that the guy has owed HMRC 750 grand for 3 (three) years. He owns a number of properties locally which they suspect he has brought on money laundered from Cambodia!!! They have been investigating him for years, he also had a local convenience store in the village for 10 years and paid no tax at all in that time (I have been in business but how do you actually do that?). The solicitor assured her to stay put for the moment and not to pay the landlord a penny over the rent (he had been around a couple of weeks earlier with a new tenancy agreement incl a rent increase, they told him to come back later and signed nothing). The rent will go straight to the court apparently and the place is likely to be sold with a sitting tenant. ie; them.
You hear these stories all the time and I won't begin to dissect the mind and character of that piss taking foreign tosser, her landlord. My question is, how do the HMRC with all their resources allow people to get away with this but then again pick on the easy targets, examples of which have been mentioned in this thread?
Yep they are more worried about a few hundred quid here & there than getting to grips with the large companies who are screwing this country.
I'm afraid "free movement of capital" under EU law has put the kybosh on us collecting from them. Hence the persecution of "the little people" to try and bleed a bit more from them.
One of the benefits of being part of the European Union.
Len
It has absolutely sweet FA to do with "the EU". The issue is not even one of 'capital'.
Let's start with Google. Google, whatever they tell you and their own employees about being a tech company,helping people get information, is a media owner. It makes money from selling advertising. Just like ITV does. The difference however is that Google invoice from Ireland and make the preposterous claim that the "deal was closed' in that country and that is where they pay corporation tax on the resulting profit. Facebook plays the same game. That is, if you even get an invoice from Facebook. I've just placed a purchase on Facebook for a "boosted post" which quite patently only applies to the Czech market (because its in Czech). Yet not only do the Czech government not see any corporation tax from it, I cannot even get a document which proves we paid it. Heaven knows how much money Facebook takes without accounting for it.
Then there is Amazon. I buy a book on Amazon UK. It is sent to my address in Eltham from one of what, 20, UK distribution centres. Yet because they generate an electronic invoice from Luxembourg, that is where they pay tax on the profit.
Then there is Starbucks. Starbucks doesn't make any profit to speak of because another part of Starbucks charges the UK operation a humungous charge for "use of the brand" or some similar bollocks.
And on, and on, and on. It is all a load of bollocks. All of us who work in or around marketing know that its a load of bollocks. Why then doesn't HMRC do anything about it? Nothing to do with "the EU". It is simply that HMRC don't have people who understand the businesses and the yarns they are spinning. The only way to assess whether Starbucks is charging a fair price for the "brand" is for HMRC to take advice from marketing people.
There are various solutions discussed, including a point of sale tax, or simply an assumption that the sale took place where the buyer rather than the seller sits. The "EU" has no problem with any of these ideas. Indeed various EU governments are getting together to discuss co-ordinating moves against those companies. If you have any evidence that the EU would block such tax changes, or even a more thorough audit of these companies by HMRC, along the lines I describe, do please show it to us.
You and I are united I am sure by the belief that these guys are the ones who should be paying far more tax, and that is where the effort should eb concentrated rather than on the incompetent pursuit of "little "people like MOG. So here's my final question to you Len. Google and Facebook are powerful global companies. Who do you think has more chance against them. Britain on its own, or the EU countries together?
An even simpler point, if it's an EU problem, then how are Apple, Google, etc. also managing to avoid paying any US taxes too? It's a global problem that requires coordinated efforts to combat.
An even simpler point, if it's an EU problem, then how are Apple, Google, etc. also managing to avoid paying any US taxes too? It's a global problem that requires coordinated efforts to combat.
Very good point. And again, the EU has the clout to look the Americans in the eye on this. All we have is the Special Relationship.
Comments
I just wish I could issue HMRC with a penalty notice for £100 on every occasion they waste my time.
The client is understandably annoyed because he knows he owes some money, but we're still waiting for them to make a final decision as to how much. We've been in constant dialogue with them about it and had their assurances that all recovery action was on hold.
Then two goons turn up and start walking around the office noting down all of the office furniture, computers, coffee machines, etc and serving them with a walking possession notice. Imagine how you would feel if some debt collectors turned up where you worked and started doing that - doesn't look good does it?
I've gone all Guns of the Navarone with them. To be fair, the bloke we deal with there has been very apologetic and has vowed to get it sorted, but the damage has potentially already been done because some tosser never read their file properly. But nothing will happen to them and they're free to do it again. That's just not right.
Best advice, complain direct to clients MP and claim compo from HMRC.
Got court date on the 19th.
Good luck, mate
Still not sure it was the right thing to "announce" this on this forum, but it really is getting me down.
This is all going back nearly 10 years, I've paid the amounts I've been charged, except £121, which I queried.
Sounds obvious, but check the bills these people send you, as Saga says, I'm sure they guess some of the numbers.
Either way it's a pain to sort out.
If you are deficient, you get a straight £100 fine, but they should be subject to the same regime and pay that out for their own errors. I'd be a lot better off if that were the case.
I had issues with HMRC "investigation of tax etc" got an Accountant who hammered them year in year out---i still pay , but they dropped their investigation
Spoke to some half-wit on the number they told me to ring, who said that they couldn't deal with it at that office. Suggested I call Newcastle Customer Team.
'Have you got the number?'
'No sorry'
'Can you give me a fax number then?'.
'No we don't have one'.
Hard nosed and completely inept, I have to wonder where they get these people from.
I'll stick to my original plan of a recorded delivery to the numpty who sent it in the first place. What a waste of fucking time!
NB Always keep a record of every conversation,letter,fax etc.
I was sent a cheque for more than £500 by HMRC a few months ago, the explanation being that my employer had deducted too much tax. I knew very well that was not the case as I have a benefit in kind and the cheque was the tax that was (correctly) deducted as a result of that. I duly sent the cheque back to them.
However, without being bigheaded, I know a little bit about the system and how it works. If I did not I could quite easily, in good faith, have cashed this cheque and spent the money.
I would then have been open to the bully boy tactics described above through no fault of my own.
EDIT: For those that know about these things Form P11D had been sent in by the appropiate deadline. The HMRC left hand simply did not know what the right hand was doing.
http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=84463
One of the benefits of being part of the European Union.
Her and partner privately rent a three bed house (Kent). It was not in the best condition but struck a deal with the Chinese landlord that her fella, a window fitter by trade, would do some upgrades and the rent was reduced accordingly. Like a lot of young couples, money is tight, the place was near to his family and they settled in nicely. She is 3 months pregnant after a number of problems conceiving in the past, so has got a bit to worry about atm.
She gets a solicitors letter on Friday stating that the Landlord has been made bankrupt and that they intend to sell the house . Too late to call, she waited the weekend and called the office this morning.
Turns out that the guy has owed HMRC 750 grand for 3 (three) years. He owns a number of properties locally which they suspect he has brought on money laundered from Cambodia!!! They have been investigating him for years, he also had a local convenience store in the village for 10 years and paid no tax at all in that time (I have been in business but how do you actually do that?). The solicitor assured her to stay put for the moment and not to pay the landlord a penny over the rent (he had been around a couple of weeks earlier with a new tenancy agreement incl a rent increase, they told him to come back later and signed nothing). The rent will go straight to the court apparently and the place is likely to be sold with a sitting tenant. ie; them.
You hear these stories all the time and I won't begin to dissect the mind and character of that piss taking foreign tosser, her landlord. My question is, how do the HMRC with all their resources allow people to get away with this but then again pick on the easy targets, examples of which have been mentioned in this thread?
They wonder why people are so pissed off...
It has absolutely sweet FA to do with "the EU". The issue is not even one of 'capital'.
Let's start with Google. Google, whatever they tell you and their own employees about being a tech company,helping people get information, is a media owner. It makes money from selling advertising. Just like ITV does. The difference however is that Google invoice from Ireland and make the preposterous claim that the "deal was closed' in that country and that is where they pay corporation tax on the resulting profit. Facebook plays the same game. That is, if you even get an invoice from Facebook. I've just placed a purchase on Facebook for a "boosted post" which quite patently only applies to the Czech market (because its in Czech). Yet not only do the Czech government not see any corporation tax from it, I cannot even get a document which proves we paid it. Heaven knows how much money Facebook takes without accounting for it.
Then there is Amazon. I buy a book on Amazon UK. It is sent to my address in Eltham from one of what, 20, UK distribution centres. Yet because they generate an electronic invoice from Luxembourg, that is where they pay tax on the profit.
Then there is Starbucks. Starbucks doesn't make any profit to speak of because another part of Starbucks charges the UK operation a humungous charge for "use of the brand" or some similar bollocks.
And on, and on, and on. It is all a load of bollocks. All of us who work in or around marketing know that its a load of bollocks. Why then doesn't HMRC do anything about it? Nothing to do with "the EU". It is simply that HMRC don't have people who understand the businesses and the yarns they are spinning. The only way to assess whether Starbucks is charging a fair price for the "brand" is for HMRC to take advice from marketing people.
There are various solutions discussed, including a point of sale tax, or simply an assumption that the sale took place where the buyer rather than the seller sits. The "EU" has no problem with any of these ideas. Indeed various EU governments are getting together to discuss co-ordinating moves against those companies. If you have any evidence that the EU would block such tax changes, or even a more thorough audit of these companies by HMRC, along the lines I describe, do please show it to us.
You and I are united I am sure by the belief that these guys are the ones who should be paying far more tax, and that is where the effort should eb concentrated rather than on the incompetent pursuit of "little "people like MOG. So here's my final question to you Len. Google and Facebook are powerful global companies. Who do you think has more chance against them. Britain on its own, or the EU countries together?