Late Tax Returns
Late Tax Returns
We recently came across a contact made by HMRC to a client about a late tax return. The form related to her husband who was terminally ill and had been in a chemically induced coma for some time. She was aware that his tax return had not been done but had accepted a fine would have to be paid as she had more pressing things on her mind.
A very unpleasant man from the local (Hampshire) tax office in Edinburgh phoned demanding to speak to her husband. She explained the position but that she had a Power of Attorney so he could speak to her instead.
His response was that he could not see that over a phone line, so would she please put her husband on without delay. She just hung up on him, so he rang our office on a Saturday afternoon and left a message for us to call him back without fail by the following Monday at 4pm, but missed a digit out of the number we had to call.
He subsequently called us and when we confirmed that we were aware of the situation and respected the wife's feelings, he responded that if that was our attitude he would call the client direct. Our response was that if he did, his next job would be counting paperclips in Hellman Province.
Submitted by Butcher & Co on Wednesday 28th July 2010