FINALLY got the tax bastards off my back!

[Bob]

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.

[Slim]

Nice to hear you've sorted your IRD.

They're not my favourite people right now, due to a change of job, payout of leave owing + 2 bonus's in one financial year in conjunction with some dodgy advice from the IRD to both employers involved, I now owe them $1500 by February.

Talk about pissed off!

[Cajun]

bad luck bob but at least ya got it all sorted

[riffer]

Sounds like IRD in England have the same system as in New Zealand.

I've had a real hassle with them here too.

You see, I pay child support for my two kids with my ex.

Child support is due 20th of each month. Now I get paid on the last day of every month, monthly pay (urgh).

So, rather than constantly be behind on child support, with the inevitable payment demand letters and penalties, I decided to pay an extra month and be a month ahead.

Trouble is, the system looks at my being one month ahead, does the calculations, and works out that because no-one in their right mind would forward pay their tax, I must instead be 11 months behind.

So I constantly receive demands for 11 months child support, along with horrendous penalty tax demands.

Every time I ring up I get a different person, and, you guessed it, two days later a system-generated letter.

Have you noticed how they are always signed by a fictitious character? If you don't believe me, ring up IRD and ask for the person who signed your letter.

Anyway, the only way to solve mine was to demand to speak to the superior of the person who can't solve your problem. Finally, with the help of my local MP I got in touch with the general manager of Child Support, who was able to actually get me a case manager to sort out my case.

Finally we got an agreement whereby I was allowed to pay my child support up to two weeks late, without any penalties.

But then, this year the system changed slightly and I was back to square one with the inevitable penalty tax demand letters every two weeks again.

*sigh*

[Ms Piggy]

Ahhhh the relief! Good on ya for digging in! I reckon there lots of people out there who have paid money unnecessarily b/c they give up too easily.

I have the similar frusrations with Study Link (who deal with student allowances), they send out the generic letters that don't actually clearly spell out what you're supposed to do and then expect me to remember what my contact I signed almost 2 years ago said! Grrrrrrrr Sorry didn't mean to get carried away venting.

Actually 1 thing I have leant, that really helps, in all my dealings with people on the phone is to write down their name & the time & date you called them. It has a lot more clout when you call back & can say who you spoke to previously. It also sounds a lot more believable (that is speaking from the point of view of a person who works in a call centre).

[F5 Dave]

I had a friend who kept getting child support demand letters demanding heaps of backpayments & threatened to take them out of his account & wages etc.

So he rang up & explained he didn’t actually have any kids! “Oh, are you Joe Blow? Born on such & such date” “Um well yes but. . .” Last known residence Prison in Australia? “I’ve never been to Australia” Oh ok, somebody with the same name & date of birth, don’t worry I’ll sort it out.

As said the next person (last person had 'left'), & the next & the usual "Well the computer thinks it’s you blah blah". In the end he asked his local MP to challenge the minister in caucus why his constituent was being harassed by the IRD. His next step was to be to attempt to take out a non-molestation order. Fortunately this was enough to get them to fix the unfixable problem.

Yeah I’m waiting for a letter from them to say I don’t need to send a return in for a trust. I rang before the cut off date. No problem sir, a letter will be auto generated. 3 weeks later nothing, I call again, “oh that often takes 3-4 weeks” ok now it’s been 7, I guess I should call again. I mean sheesh! These things are auto generated, when I applied for a tax number it came in under week.

Regarding the name thing; In one of Scot Adam's books he said he worked a help desk & decided giving out your real name was a bad idea if something went wrong. For months his co workers think they worked with a chap they’d never met called Pat M’Groin.

[Hoon]

I just finished paying off my Student loan last month after 9 years. Last week I also finished paying off my bank loan for my TLS I wrote off 2 years ago - don't worry, got insurance payout which I used to fund my intro into racing.

So now I'm debt free woohoo !!!!

.....but now the gf has me saving for a house deposit

[scumdog]

Remember people, "if it wasn't written down, it didn't happen", - 'phone them if you want but also start a paper trail by writing to them. (and keeping a copy of all letters etc).

[geoffm]

Actually 1 thing I have leant, that really helps, in all my dealings with people on the phone is to write down their name & the time & date you called them. It has a lot more clout when you call back & can say who you spoke to previously. It also sounds a lot more believable (that is speaking from the point of view of a person who works in a call centre).

HAving been through this exercise in the previous company I worked for (with ACC and IRD...) - gettin info out of these people is like pulling teeth. if things look like they will get nasty, they won't give any details, so they can't be held accountable. Of course, this is the organisation that kept a tally of the numbers it drove to suicide...
Geoff

[Ms Piggy]

Regarding the name thing; In one of Scot Adam's books he said he worked a help desk & decided giving out your real name was a bad idea if something went wrong. For months his co workers think they worked with a chap they’d never met called Pat M’Groin.

Yeah well I only ever give out my 1st name, occasionally my surname if I'm helping someone but never if they're an aggressive or rude customer.

[toads]

I can totally relate to your frustration with the ird, sounds like the british version is just as helpful (not) as dear old NZ ird, I had a hassle last year and this year and ended up getting a local ird person to sort the whole sorry mess out, best thing I've ever done, I could speak to her directly without a big menu of answer phone messages. brilliant

[moko]

I had all kinds of hassle from my mortgage provider(and I will name them,Halifax Bank,cowboys,shower of shit,AVOID)who got involved in an argument between me and a bunch of dumb shits who were actually trying to rip me off while telling the Halifax I owed them money when in fact they`ve broken the law.Long story but it`ll get sorted.Anyway,same problem,name on the letters dosnt exist,got told 3 times things were sorted then more threatening letters.I eventually got so pissed-off I paid my mortgage off just to get rid of the cretins,not everyone is in a position to do that.What my old man does in these situations is this,"Hello,I`ve recieved a letter from your Bank saying I owe you some money,can I speak to the idiot responsible please?".Whoever he gets passed on to gets "Hello,I`ve got a problem and asked to speak to the idiot responsible so I assume that`s you".That`s where I get my legendary tact from.

[wari]

I LIke your fathers tact moko ... brilliant :spudwave:

[Blakamin]

I had all kinds of hassle from my mortgage provider(and I will name them,Halifax Bank,cowboys,shower of shit,AVOID)who got involved in an argument between me and a bunch of dumb shits who were actually trying to rip me off while telling the Halifax I owed them money when in fact they`ve broken the law.Long story but it`ll get sorted.Anyway,same problem,name on the letters dosnt exist,got told 3 times things were sorted then more threatening letters.I eventually got so pissed-off I paid my mortgage off just to get rid of the cretins,not everyone is in a position to do that.What my old man does in these situations is this,"Hello,I`ve recieved a letter from your Bank saying I owe you some money,can I speak to the idiot responsible please?".Whoever he gets passed on to gets "Hello,I`ve got a problem and asked to speak to the idiot responsible so I assume that`s you".That`s where I get my legendary tact from.

Can i borrow him???

[What?]

Do tax dept workers in England get so stressed that they commit suicide? They do here!