HMRC sending an officer

[tashajayne2012]

I am not sure whether this is right part of the forum in which to post.

I am so stressed at the moment.

 

I started making money from my hobby a few years ago. I have an unpaid tax bill of £1996 which last year I set up an agreement to pay back. Unfortunately after some problems with cashflow and a family bereavement I didn't keep up with it (I realise this was my fault)

 

I received a letter this morning stating that they are cancelling the arrangement. I called to try and reinstate the arrangement and was told that unless I can pay them £1800 TODAY they will continue their action and send officers round to seize my goods or declare me bankrupt within the week.

 

The only thing I own is my car which is (just about) worth 2k but I need my car obviously with 2 small children. Everything else was purchased by my husband. I am absolutely terrified. Please help me

[i hate bailiffs]

are they not saying they MAY make you bankrupt i doubt it at this point they would need to go to court for that to happen

 

even for tax arrears bailiffs have no right of entry keep property secure and don't let them in they can not force entry

 

with regards to car that would be seen a s a easy target for bailiffs to bump up his fees so keep it hidden away

 

sounds like tax office being unreasonable i am sure if you could afford to pay £1800 today you would have no outstanding tax but the read from a script

 

it may pay to put it in writing to tax office of your offer to repay enclosing payment you will get nowhere on phone and no proof

 

welcome to GAG:-D

[Still_surviving]

Can I ask how the bill for £1996 was arrived at?

 

Presumably HMRC discovered what you were doing....then what? Did you get an accountant to do some proper accounts or did the taxman just say heres the bill?

 

I ask because Im an accountant and so many times I see cases like this where HMRC conveniently omit to tell the taxpayer what expenses they are entitled to claim....something that any accountant would spot.

[tashajayne2012]

Thank you both so much for replying.

 

The figure was an outstanding SA tax plus a late return penalty from 2009 I didn't actually realise I had. I did use an accountant and he claimed a lot of expenses etc so I don't refute that I do owe it. I just don't have money at the moment. I did explain that my oldest son is off to secondary school in september and although I don't want him to be in the house alone for a couple of hours after school it will be the earliest I can go out to work to pay them back. She said that wasn't good enough and couldn't I borrow the money.. nearly 2k?! erm no not really!!

[tashajayne2012]

Like an idiot, when the person at hmrc I spoke with asked what my car reg was I gave it to her. I can't really hide the car No garage etc

[Still_surviving]

Are you definitely dealing with HMRC or with one of their band of cockroaches (sorry approved debt collecting agencies).

 

A lot of debt collection has been farmed out to the same firms that collect credit card debts etc, and from my experience they are economical with the truth and have no ethics whatsoever.

 

Telling you to borrow the money, and that they can bankrupt you within a week doesnt sound like an HMRC office - no one likes taxmen but they do tend to follow the rules.

[i hate bailiffs]

Like an idiot, when the person at hmrc I spoke with asked what my car reg was I gave it to her. I can't really hide the car No garage etc

 

that does not meany they have a levy on it if there is no where to hide it you can always transfer ownership of it to a parent/family member

[tashajayne2012]

I called the number on the letter which was 08456049051 and when I got through it was apparently the VAT section but she said she could take the call anyway.

[tashajayne2012]

that does not meany they have a levy on it if there is no where to hide it you can always transfer ownership of it to a parent/family member

Can I do this? Would it work if I transferred the ownership to my husband? (he did actually buy it, but its in my name)

[i hate bailiffs]

Can I do this? Would it work if I transferred the ownership to my husband? (he did actually buy it, but its in my name)

 

if the tax debt is yours then no reason why not

[tashajayne2012]

When I pointed out to the woman on the phone that it was MY debt she said that it would be viewed as a joint debt because we have a joint mortgage?! I thought it was a bit unfair but we have only been married for 4 weeks (together 10 years mind you) and I haven't really looked into how things differ once you get married.

[marmaris30]

HMRC expect money to be kept aside to pay tax bills.

 

However the visitor will not be a bailiff and has no power of entry under any circumstances. You will be expected to agree a repayment plan to deal with the matter quickly, but you don't have to let them in to do this.

 

If your repayment plan is not accepted then they could obtain a CCJ, which seems more likely for this amount. They could serve a Statutory Demand prior to petitioning for bankruptcy, but that seems a bit extreme given the fees they'd have to pay with no guarantee of recouping them.

 

If they get a CCJ then the court decides how quickly you must repay, although a record is kept for six years. Obviously you will need to ensure this year's tax bill is also funded, to avoid trouble next year.

 

Bailiffs acting for HMRC do have the power to force entry to your home once a CCJ and a Warrant of Execution have been granted, but you're a long way off that horror and it really is a last resort.

[tashajayne2012]

Thank you very much for your reply Marmaris. You too, once again I hate bailiffs. I really do appreciate the advice x

 

I think I will sit and work out exactly what I have coming in and going out and then I will pen a letter as you suggested and send it to them recorded. When they discuss a repayment plan, have you any idea of the timescales they would expect the debt to be repayed over? I want to get rid of the debt asap but obviously cannot promise more than I can afford, which is not a lot at the moment!!

[marmaris30]

Remember that unpaid taxes are priority debts, so this comes before any other debts but not before genuine essentials like rent/mortgage interest, food and the like. They'll probably not entertain anything stretching beyond the end of the tax year, and they won't fail to remind you of your duties regarding taxes.

[wotnot]

From experience :

 

Do not call them. Do not speak to them or let them in. Change your vehicle ownership details asap. Setup an online banking payment and pay them little and often, that way each time they send you a statement you can write back saying this is not right, I dont owe that much, where did you get that figure !

 

HMRC will pass it to their debt collection firm, name escapes me, and you write back to them saying who are you, i dont owe that figure to HMRC, prove it! They write back saying its on hold whilst you contact HMRC, you ignore letter and carry on paying little and often - HMRC happy to see payments and move on to someone else.

 

Do not worry and do not lose any sleep over it, they are not worth it!

[wotnot]

just remembered - Drydens Fairfax or similar

[caledfwlch]

To protect against Seizures, just get in the habit of parking your car a couple of streets away, and do a statutory declaration putting all goods in the house, except stuff that is clearly for your "work/hobby" in your hubby's name.

 

The Taxman has extraordinary powers, so its best to get protected in advance - think of it as debt contraception!

[ThreeO'Clock]

It doesn't sound much like HMRC, they wouldn't ask you to borrow money for the same reason that you can't pay your tax bill with a credit card, it's just moving debts about.