Tax Office Mistakes!

[deezyb]

OMG - I am so angry! I asked the Tax Office to review my tax for the last 4 years (mad you may think!) as I have been on different tax codes over the last few years, due to taxable expenses that I've apparently received, but not received in actual fact! After being on a reduced tax code for 2 years to pay tax I had underpaid (due to my Payroll office having ignored a coding notice 4 years ago and me actually telling them that my tax code was wrong at the time!!!!!!) - I thought I'd paid it all off! NO - another £1K due! I've not a problem with paying my taxes clearly, but I've got a problem with people getting paid and doing a sh**te job! I've been in my job, which I love, for 6 years, but get frustrated at having to rely on those that you think know what they are doing...and at times clearly they don't!!!!!!

After reading this post myself, it seems confusing, and I'm sorry but I'm mad and having a rant!

[percy charlie]

I truly understand what you mean, but inland revenue themselves are even better at cocking it up, theve done it with two members of the same family.
The overpaid me child tax credit even though i gave them my updated wage predictions, so my entitlement could be corrected when i went back to work, but they said it didnt need altering, at the end of the year they then said theyd overpaid me and stopped the child tax credit for a year and a half, my father who was semi retired they taxed his pension while he was working as well as his wage plus they claimed in the pass he had underpaid some tax so claimed that as well, he fully retired in november as hes now 70 and they have suddenly started taking all of one pension and part of one of his others claiming he still owes them, how come when working the took £40 total of his pension for overpayment then tax it but now not working start taxing more, dads asked them and the accountant to now investigate this as hes paid far more than the overpayment they claimed. then they write to us both to say congratulations those missing discs on the news had your details on including bank details we are sorry. i bet inland revenue are partly responsible for your error as well as employer, as i have no faith in them i think they need new management and data protection training before they are re taught to do there job. sorry for ranting dad been moaning today as still taking his pension.

[greenstar]

Percy Charlie - I think your dad should visit your local Welfare Rights Officer - either at the council or at your local Citizen's advice Bureau. It's what I do for a living, but I don't do pensions so can't advise you on that. So's you know in future, you can challenge tax credits decisions (although they don't like telling people that) - if they try it again get advice from someone who deals with them on a regular basis. I've just manged to get a client's £7000 overpayment written off because it wasn't her fault that they'd overpaid her. It's worth pursuing, honest!

[percy charlie]

thanks greenstar but ive just paid it all back now but having been made redundant just after the year and half i spent paying it back i let them know twice as they had me down as still earning even after i had told them theve now corrected it but when i do get another job i will be on there back to ensure they update it and wont beleive there it dont need altering till end of year excuse, as for dad hes waiting for a reply as they made him put everything in writing as they dont seem to have correct details for his previous employer so arnt letting him know anything over the phone until hes confirmed everything in writing to prove he is who he says he is as apparently as there details are different he fails security as they lot disc with our details on that is a laugh.

[OverWyreGrower]

The Tax Office have b*ggered up Mr OWG's company car tax for the last 3 years; and he has been underpaying.

Although they have admitted that it is their fault for calculating it wrongly (for 3 years) we have to pay £3500 in back taxes, and they want it in this tax year

Unfortunately, that means we're short £350 a month for the next 12 months, and the tax office have said that it's "not their problem if we can't pay our bills" They have been so unhelpful it's untrue. We've never even had anything in writing about it, as apparantly they sent a letter, but we've never received it.

They won't change the payment term or amount, and the CAB haven't been any use either.

We've basically had to suck up a £350 a month loss to our finances, which means we've cancelled our holidays (to Scotland and Wales) and drastically cut back on food shopping. In truth, there's not a lot else we can cut back on to claw back enough money to make a difference, especially since our council tax and bills have gone up this year (plus petrol etc)...

Phew... OK, rant over!

[Herbgardener]

I think I'd be tempted to complain to my MP and any of the newspapers, watchdog etc that will listen.. at the very least if they cocked up over 3 years you should get 3 years to pay it back...

[Flummery]

Happens a lot doesn't it? I took early retirement about 18 months ago at the age of 57. I got a smallish (because I've only been part time) pension from my job and at 58 got a very small additional pension we'd paid into for 10 years in the hopes of being able to retire a bit early. Sum of both is well below my tax limit. I got my P60s this week - and the second pension has had tax deducted at standard rate. I rang Tax Office who said they had been informed of the second pension 'but it hadn't been connected up' - not 'WE haven't connected it up', you notice! I have to send off both my P60 and (in about 6 weeks) I'll get a refund. It's only £63 quid but when your pension is under £4,000 p.a. that counts! Gawd only know what they'll manage to cock up when I'm 60 next year!

[OverWyreGrower]

I think I'd be tempted to complain to my MP and any of the newspapers, watchdog etc that will listen.. at the very least if they cocked up over 3 years you should get 3 years to pay it back...

Apparantly they need it back in this tax year, as if it goes over into another one, it creates more problems as next years tax laws will apply to it etc...

As far as the tax office are concerned, £3500 is a reasonable sum to pay back in a year they are obviously earning a lot more than me and Mr OWG then!!!

[deezyb]

yes probably right about not trying to pay back over an extended time, like I say in my initial post, I did and it's still all wrong!!!! It's worrying that there are so many mistakes made - we're at the mercy of those you think are experts in their field, and quite clearly aren't expert at all!

[smallblueplanet]

...We've never even had anything in writing about it, as apparantly they sent a letter, but we've never received it....

If this is still true I'd ask them to send another copy of the letter out - how on earth will you be able to prove what you've paid and why if 'things' went missing?

[lottie dolly]

you know what they say about an expert,a drip under preasure

[JO,JO]

maybe it is lack of training on the governments part.

[Derek]

I have family who work for the Revenue (one of the crosses I have to bare)

In recent years the Revenue have changed direction several times moving work from one part of the Country to another... many of the original well trained staff have left they were the ones who came up through the ranks so to speak. New people have been set on and given limited training before being let loose to wreak the havoc you are talking about

So Jo Jo you are right