Million face £100 late filing fine
More than 90 per cent of taxpayers filed their self-assessment tax returns on time this year, but one million face a fine for failing to do so
One million taxpayers face a £100 fine for failing to submit their self-assessment tax returns on time, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said.
But more than nine out of 10 people met the deadline, the highest proportion since the revenue body was created in 2005.
A record 9.45 million self-assessment tax returns were filed on time this year, meaning 90.4% of taxpayers met the deadline.
The original online filing deadline of January 31 was extended to February 2 because of a strike by tax office staff. The proportion of people who filed online this year rose to 80%, also a record high, and up from the 78% of taxpayers who used the internet last year.
David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: "I'm delighted so many people filed their tax returns online this year. The record number proves that it's quick, easy and secure to do.
"HMRC have always been clear that they want returns not penalties, so it is good news that over 90% of all returns were submitted on time."
Under the revenue body's new penalty system, those who miss the deadline face an initial £100 fixed penalty, even if there is no tax to pay or if the tax due is paid on time, and additional daily charges of £10 will accrue after three months. A maximum penalty of £1,600 could eventually be due.
The busiest day for online returns was January 31, when HMRC received nearly 445,000.
The "self-assessment rush hour" occurred between 4pm and 5pm on that day, when 37,460 returns, equating to more than one every six seconds, were received.
Some 1,100 people filed online on Christmas Day last year and 11,648 used the internet to do this on New Year's Eve.
in years gone by the car salesman was considerd a SHARK and you were warned off these days
the car sales mans reputation has gone and most are exremely proffesional, but the best salesman by far are MP`S ,councilors and alike . most appear at election time sell us a line and like lemmings we all go to vote for them! Then once in ofice they all get given jobs that most have never done and have no qualifications for and all on the promise that they will make it better for us the people . At least in the old days they would come knock your door and ask for your vote and opinion , now the arrogant so and so`s just expect . i saw this at an early age and decided never too vote , and before i get the comments if you dont vote how can you expect change , many vote and the sytem fiddles the results time after time you only have to look at the current bunch of clowns to see that ! we should talk revolution but then we are branded terorists so best not until this country gets its backbone back nothing will change i feel sorry for our families and loved one`s who died in the war just for this mess!!
i am glad in some ways that a tax issue has been raised.... several years ago and wanting to be straight with the revenue on the advise of a so called accountant i paid them £11,000 seemed
strange as my business was failing due to the recession i then submited my next return and was investigated for the next five years, after eight court visits most postponed due to the revenues arogance i was given a bill from a £3000 assesment to £27500 a total joke all efforts to sort this failed from legal to ombudsmen result no business, home repossesed (and i was up to date with the mortgage) and a ccj (at which point i lost the will to live ) FACT people THE REVENUE ARE ABOVE THE LAW because the crown wont go against one of its own departments come to england the land of the TAXED the rich get richer and the poor ,poorer and we in the middle suffer conclusion i left the country !!!
I totally agree with Neil (Theo the Geo)!
This country is no longer run for the benefit of the British or those that work (not even for those that don't work because they can't find work - and believe me some of the 'so-called' scroungers do look for work but i'm afraid its the old ageism thing although they won't admit it).
I also read how much money people get in Child Benefit. Its a disgrace. If you want children then maybe get some money for the first one but any after that pay for yourself. If you can't afford them don't have them; the choice of contraception nowadays is such that no one needs to keep having children when they can't afford it.
As long as the Governments keep paying they'll keep breeding. Most of the children born in our local hospital last year were from foreigners as well, plus most of them immigrants (some illegal).
I love children but hate stupidity.
Sorry to have gone on about children but my father is 87, worked all his life, fought in the Second World War and can barely keep himself with his Pension.
He says he's lucky he's blind so has to stay in; were he able to see he'd have to stay in due to lack of funds.
Is THAT what this country has come to?
What the gov. could and should do regardless of tax returns is invest in public services such as green energy. And we should shift away from a focus on GDP and concentrate on GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator's) and think how much good government money does when it is spent on hospitals and schools etc. These are public services which give added value even if they do not generate profit.
And if we reigned in all the big companies with offshore accounts - then half the problems would be lessened in a fell swoop - maybe more. Cannot remember the figures but basically we cannot pay for this - and we shouldn't have to. People should be on the streets.
I was not able to fine anybody £100, I was not offered any compensation, and when I asked about it, it was refused. The tax office are a shambolic disgrace, using out-of-date equipment, and yet they refuse to acknowledge that they have numerous problems.
As for the assertion by David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, who said: "I'm delighted so many people filed their tax returns online this year. The record number proves that it's quick, easy and secure to do. well, the 'record number' proves nothing of the sort, especially the security aspect. All the assertion does is to underline the lack of understanding exhibited by the tax people, both of the paying public and of their own systems.
I looked at our household's expenditures from 1995 to 2011 and found the following.
Water Rates - change to metered supply 11/2010. Cost variation = - 1.5%
Telephone - includes broadband since 2008. Cost variation = + 54%
Gas - consumption results improved from wall & loft insulation. Cost variation = + 11%
Electricity - increases from internet & standby-by settings. Cost variation = + 10%
Council Tax - Cost variation = + 106% Well what can you say!
Because the public sector doesn't generate wealth or growth. Ultimately all the public sector does is take money from the private sector as tax, then put it back as public spending. That's not growth. The more it spends the more it has to take and the more it takes the more difficult it is for the private sector to be competitive and create jobs of its own so the more you have to borrow simply to maintain the status quo which is why Europe has had such large deficits for decades.
People need to stop pretending that borrowing billions against future growth in the private sector to mask the lack of growth in the private sector is somehow a solution or sustainable.
instead of the government trying to privatise departments such as the hmrc trial that they are doing - why not employ more people instead of cutting jobs.
Read PCS' union there is an alternative (pcs.org.uk and search for there is an alternative) it is an excellent read as there are alternative things that can be done to help this country get back to normal instead of funding mp's, pm's and their stupid decisions they make i.e. wars on terror (that don't even exist) etc - spending money on unnecessary things !!!
Instead of cutting all these jobs they should try creating more - once these public sector cuts are fully in place more people will rely on the state for help - and the snowball effect they have will then roll into the private sector - causing companies and people to lose their jobs - then they rely on the state - less tax and national insurance being paid will be no good - one vicious circle.
Bad decision after bad decision - these millionaire mp's etc and the mega rich can afford to live happy and care free because we fund their wages or they can afford to pay accountants etc to work out ways so they don't pay uk tax (philip green of topshop anyone?) - they should try living on an average salary of around 15k. They should live in others shoes before making decisions that will be no good but cause more problems for people !!!
Pay taxes for a service thats being cut. Paying tax into a benefit system, which is also being cut. Taxes are being increased but no value is being added, only cut.Working class people pay(mostly) their taxes. They spend the rest on living expense's and the occasional luxury item/ holiday. The middle to upper classes sit on their money via investments and savings.
The working class contribute to the economy and the upper classes gain more money from the money they have. This money comes from the pockets of the working class. The working class are then made unemployed by the upper classes, so theirs less money in the economy. The unemployed then have their benefit cut to keep paying for the economy while the upper classes hold on to their cash with both hands, untouchable, as they are the decision makers. Simples.
Instead of The Old Lady of threadneedle street printing money to give to the already foul acting banks, and hope they don't keep it. Why not give that money to people and businessess direct to allow them pay off their debts directly, or allow them to start making things again.
The UK does not make anything any more, it has nothing to sell to the world other than other peoples products!
