Bob
25th August 2004, 00:41
I need to get this off my chest, so apologies for the long story.
I've finally got the tax-B'Stards off my back.
I never knew I needed to fill in a tax return for the 02-03 year. First I knew about it was when I got a letter (to work) saying I owed them money for not sending back the tax return form. That would be the one I never received, or any of the chaser letters.
So I rang them up - turns out they had my old address on their records. So I asked them to send a new 02-03 form to me. They did and I completed and sent it in after a week learning how to complete the form.
I then asked them why I hadn't had an 03-04 form - so I went through the process of registering to complete the form online (which takes a couple of weeks) and did it all there.
I also appealed against the penalty of £100 as I never got the original form and I am allowed two months to complete and send back the form from the date on the front of the form (18th July in the case of the replacement one).
From then on, every week saw at least one, if not two or even three letters or forms of some kind turn up from the Inland Revenue.
And every time one did, I rang them up - and each time I would be told "Not to worry, the system hasn't caught up yet". And then another letter or form would turn up. And I would ring again.
Then I was told I'd have to pay a second £100 penalty for late completion of the 02-03 form. So I rang them up "Oh the system auto-generated that, don't worry, as soon as the processing dept catch up, I'm sure it will be cancelled".
The final straw came when, having received the THIRD 03-04 form through the door, followed by a Statement of Account for two penalties I keep being told not to worry about.
My temper finally went.
So I wasted a chunk of my morning off moaning at a faceless entity, who promised that he would send yet another note to the processing people - and they would get back to me either yesterday or today.
So nothing happened.
So got on the phone again. And this time got a sympathetic female. Who found out how I feel like I am being stalked, how I get one or two letters a week from IRL, how they keep sending me tax forms for years I have already sent in etc.
And she spoke to processing and told them that they needed to look at my case now. Which they did. And found the two penalties should be cancelled.
Turns out I owe £20 due to the wrong amount being supplied previously for my BUPA (so once again the useless HR dept here have screwed up - no great shock there), but rather that than the £200 in penalties they were trying to throw my way.
But if I hadn't been prepared to get on to them - and keep on hassling them the way they were hassling me - I could have easily paid up, nothing happened and £200 that wasn't theirs could be sitting in their bank account.
Fortunately I am one of those people that will dig in their teeth until I get things sorted.
But there must be people who get scared by government letters who would be frightened to death over this sort of hassle.
I've finally got the tax-B'Stards off my back.
I never knew I needed to fill in a tax return for the 02-03 year. First I knew about it was when I got a letter (to work) saying I owed them money for not sending back the tax return form. That would be the one I never received, or any of the chaser letters.
So I rang them up - turns out they had my old address on their records. So I asked them to send a new 02-03 form to me. They did and I completed and sent it in after a week learning how to complete the form.
I then asked them why I hadn't had an 03-04 form - so I went through the process of registering to complete the form online (which takes a couple of weeks) and did it all there.
I also appealed against the penalty of £100 as I never got the original form and I am allowed two months to complete and send back the form from the date on the front of the form (18th July in the case of the replacement one).
From then on, every week saw at least one, if not two or even three letters or forms of some kind turn up from the Inland Revenue.
And every time one did, I rang them up - and each time I would be told "Not to worry, the system hasn't caught up yet". And then another letter or form would turn up. And I would ring again.
Then I was told I'd have to pay a second £100 penalty for late completion of the 02-03 form. So I rang them up "Oh the system auto-generated that, don't worry, as soon as the processing dept catch up, I'm sure it will be cancelled".
The final straw came when, having received the THIRD 03-04 form through the door, followed by a Statement of Account for two penalties I keep being told not to worry about.
My temper finally went.
So I wasted a chunk of my morning off moaning at a faceless entity, who promised that he would send yet another note to the processing people - and they would get back to me either yesterday or today.
So nothing happened.
So got on the phone again. And this time got a sympathetic female. Who found out how I feel like I am being stalked, how I get one or two letters a week from IRL, how they keep sending me tax forms for years I have already sent in etc.
And she spoke to processing and told them that they needed to look at my case now. Which they did. And found the two penalties should be cancelled.
Turns out I owe £20 due to the wrong amount being supplied previously for my BUPA (so once again the useless HR dept here have screwed up - no great shock there), but rather that than the £200 in penalties they were trying to throw my way.
But if I hadn't been prepared to get on to them - and keep on hassling them the way they were hassling me - I could have easily paid up, nothing happened and £200 that wasn't theirs could be sitting in their bank account.
Fortunately I am one of those people that will dig in their teeth until I get things sorted.
But there must be people who get scared by government letters who would be frightened to death over this sort of hassle.