The art of procrastination and filing your tax return

You know the feeling….. that one item on the ‘to do’ list that you just can’t face. For me it was launching this website, give me a spreadsheet any day, but organising a new website was one of those jobs that would never get done. In fact, without the insistent nudges and prompts from a very helpful marketing expert I’m lucky enough to have on hand I would never have got this far.

For most people filing their annual self-assessment tax return is exactly the task that keeps getting pushed down the ‘to do’ list, until a frantic panic ensues at the end of January to get it filed and avoid late filing penalties. Recently I came across a list that HM Revenue and Customs published of the strangest excuses they received for missing the dreaded 31st January deadline:

“My dog ate my post…… again”

“I’m cruising around the world in my yacht and only picking up post when on dry land”

“ I was up a mountain in Wales and couldn’t find a post box”

“My mother in law is a witch and put a spell on me”

“My hamster ate my post”

Sadly, all these excuses failed to convince HM Revenue and Customs, amusing as they are, and the taxpayers had to pay late fines. As I learned during the development of my website, the input of a skilled professional is priceless. Similarly, engaging a skilled professional to handle your tax affairs will pay dividends in the long run, making sure all forms are submitted on time, making claims for tax relief within time limits and generally just keeping on top of everything. Tick that job off your ‘to do’ list once and for all and get in touch today.

(Content sourced from HMRC press release, find it at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmrc-highlights-a-decade-of-bizarre-excuses-and-expense-claims)