Culture
22:15, 17-Jan-2018
Alien sightings are no excuse for filing your tax return late
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Britain's revenue authorities have released some of the weird reasons that people have given for missing tax filing deadlines.
“I couldn’t file my return on time as my wife has been seeing aliens and won’t let me enter the house,” was one of the more unlikely excuses received by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Officials were equally unimpressed with someone who said their ex-wife had left the tax return upstairs and they couldn’t retrieve it because they suffered from vertigo.
The HMRC cited the examples as it sought to encourage taxpayers to file their returns by Jan. 31.
“Each year we still come across some questionable excuses,” said Angela MacDonald, HMRC Director General of Customer Services.
“However, help will always be provided for those who have a genuine excuse for not submitting their return on time,” she added in a statement.
HMRC also highlighted a few dubious claims for tax-deductible expenses, reminding taxpayers that only legitimate expenses for a job would be accepted.
Expense claims rejected by officials included veterinary fees for a rabbit, birthday drinks at a Glasgow nightclub and 250 days’ worth of sausages and chips.
Source(s): Reuters