Monday, September 24, 2007
"Tax doesn't have to be taxing"
I'd like to say that I've had a fascinating week doing loads of exciting things, but I'd be lying....thanks to the lovely UK tax man.
A Tax Return form turned up in the post quite a a few weeks ago now, and I studiously ignored it. It stared at me for a very long time and visited me in my dreams, but I stood fast and closed my eyes tighter. Eventually, however, it caught me at a weak moment and I opened it.
The first question which sprang to mind when I looked at it was:
Why did the tax man send me the extra pages required for 'Employment' and 'Land and Property', but not 'Non-Residence', when he sent the form to Qatar?
Anyhow, ignoring that, it was the first page of the form that really prompted me into action:
You must get your Tax Return to us by the later of:
* 30 September 2007...if you want us to calculate your tax, or
* 31 January 2008...if you calculate your tax yourself.
I'm all for an easy life, so I thought I'd best get it done pretty damn quick - the end of September is fast approaching. It's the first Tax Return I've had to do, but with a 'little' bit of help from my accountant sister, I managed to fill in the paper copy, then sat down at the computer with a cup of tea to fill it in online.
First you have to register. Fair enough...but then:
Wait to receive an 'Activation PIN' (personal identity number). This is sent through the post.
Through the post?! It takes a month for post to get here, in a month's time it's October. I phoned them up, and discovered that if you fill it in online, you don't need to complete it until 31 January 2008. Is there any reason why they 'forget' to mention that anywhere?
Anyway, the panic was over, so I registered, and am now waiting for my pin to arrive. However, the fun isn't over yet. An automated email told me that my PIN was on its way, and contained the following information:
YOUR ACTIVATION PIN WILL EXPIRE AFTER 28 DAYS, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE USE OF IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Hilariously, the PIN number will have expired BEFORE it even arrives here.
I rang them again.
"No," said David the taxman, "there's nothing we can do about it."
Brilliant.
A Tax Return form turned up in the post quite a a few weeks ago now, and I studiously ignored it. It stared at me for a very long time and visited me in my dreams, but I stood fast and closed my eyes tighter. Eventually, however, it caught me at a weak moment and I opened it.
The first question which sprang to mind when I looked at it was:
Why did the tax man send me the extra pages required for 'Employment' and 'Land and Property', but not 'Non-Residence', when he sent the form to Qatar?
Anyhow, ignoring that, it was the first page of the form that really prompted me into action:
You must get your Tax Return to us by the later of:
* 30 September 2007...if you want us to calculate your tax, or
* 31 January 2008...if you calculate your tax yourself.
I'm all for an easy life, so I thought I'd best get it done pretty damn quick - the end of September is fast approaching. It's the first Tax Return I've had to do, but with a 'little' bit of help from my accountant sister, I managed to fill in the paper copy, then sat down at the computer with a cup of tea to fill it in online.
First you have to register. Fair enough...but then:
Wait to receive an 'Activation PIN' (personal identity number). This is sent through the post.
Through the post?! It takes a month for post to get here, in a month's time it's October. I phoned them up, and discovered that if you fill it in online, you don't need to complete it until 31 January 2008. Is there any reason why they 'forget' to mention that anywhere?
Anyway, the panic was over, so I registered, and am now waiting for my pin to arrive. However, the fun isn't over yet. An automated email told me that my PIN was on its way, and contained the following information:
YOUR ACTIVATION PIN WILL EXPIRE AFTER 28 DAYS, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE USE OF IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Hilariously, the PIN number will have expired BEFORE it even arrives here.
I rang them again.
"No," said David the taxman, "there's nothing we can do about it."
Brilliant.
Comments:
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tax doesn't have to be taxing ... unless it involves tax, in which case it is. i suggest you close your eyes a bit harder, in which case it might go away again ...
Chicken x
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Chicken x
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