Daily Tax Return Penalties

In 2011 HMRC brought in severe daily tax return penalties for late filing of Self Assessment tax returns, at the time these fines were supposed to be a warning and HMRC claimed that they would enforce them with a light touch whilst people adjusted to them.

Come August 2012 and over 500,000 people have received fines of at least £1,200 for late submission of their self assessment tax returns for 2011. This is nearly 6% of all self assessment tax payers who have been fined for making late returns.

Whilst there will be valid reasons for many of these late returns, some people may even be unaware that a return was required until they received the fine, it does not change the fact that the penalties are draconian and bear no resemblance to the “crime committed”

The fines will be made up of standard penalties for late submission, then daily penalties for a maximum of 90 days topped off by another 5% on top just to give people another incentive to pay.

Whatever HMRC say, these fines are absolutely unacceptable and we at PGA Self Assessment are committed to assisting our clients wherever we can to appeal against them and have them reversed. We have quite a lot of experience in this area and provide our well developed appeal letters as part of our standard service if our clients find that they have been subject to penalties.

However, in order to appeal against the fine, you must submit your returns to date first.

If you are behind with your tax returns and need assistance, please let us know and we will help. A call to one of our experienced staff on 01666 822256 will ensure that the matter is addressed and that you have someone on your side.