Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => All things that have nothing to do with Turkey => Topic started by: Rimms on November 20, 2013, 18:49:28 PM
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Even though I went through every possible procedure to inform the authority's ( inc. HMRC ) that we were leaving the UK 20 months ago, they recently wrote to me at my former UK address to tell me that I owe them £500 in unpaid tax for the last financial year. This was my first full taxable year in retirement and despite me having given them precise details of all my income to the exact penny for this period, which unlike my income for the past 30 years is no longer distorted by company cars, sales bonuses and expenses, they managed to get it wrong !
Anyone who has tried to contact HMRC will know that they haven't yet discovered emails and because postal mail tends to be a bit hit and miss here, I topped up my phone and called them. I always imagined that the HMRC phone is answered by a tax savvy civil servant, my recent call made me believe that it's a call centre agent reading a tele-script.
Despite writing to me on no less than six occasions here, the agent insisted that my Turkish address had not yet 'filtered' through the system!
Despite writing to me in January this year telling me that they owed me £450 which I have never received, they confirmed the cheque had been sent to my Turkish address but couldn't confirm whether it had been cashed or not.
Despite not knowing whether this repayment cheque had been cashed, the agent promised to send me a replacement cheque that same day, when I suggested they deduct the money they owe me from what I owe them, there was a long pause and a promise to look into whether that is possible (for God's Sake) and a letter will be sent to confirm or otherwise.
I also asked questions about the double taxation agreement that exists between the UK & Turkey, on each occasion I was told to go to www.ihaventa******gclue.com
A letter from HMRC duly arrived in my postbox today, it was to advise me of recent changes in child benefit.
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Quite agree with you I too have been told I owe £600 of under paid tax for the tax year before this one... I have two jobs and my codes were split between both jobs, then one of my schools changed to an academy, when this happened I knew I was not paying enough tax and informed HMRC by letter and finally managed to get through on the phone and was told it would start to be collected last November. it still hasn't, my latest correspondence said they will start collecting it in April next year, when I informed them I have been off work for the last 6 months due to post op complications and may not be able to return to work for some while they said they would find another way to collect it from me and it would be interest free, made me so cross as it was all their fault in the first place, they said they had no knowledge of my second job even though I have worked there for fourteen years and had a tax code for that job, in my opinion total incompetence!!! >:(
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Have you filled in the DT/Individual form George?
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I'm waiting for some expert advice Baz.
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So, how much has you child benefit gone up by then George. Could it be £450.00
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Probably, but then my personal allowance has been influenced by sub section C of the fuel allowance multiplier for the first six months of tax year 2011, which by the way ends mid way through 2012. This was then replaced by a flat fee for people who cover more than 2 kilometres in reverse gear in any three month period of any taxable month after using up your personal tax allowance, this allowance decrease by 3.5% per CC engine size divided by the KG carbon output of the car.
Sorry, ignore all of the above, it's much too clear for HMRC purposes, instead stick to sending letters about child benefit rates to 60 year old blokes living in foreign parts who have completed a self assessment for the past 15 years. That makes much more sense!
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We're using their Real Time Online System.
Our accountant sat with us and paid our PAYE bill using our card last month on this system. All confirmed. Except it isn't/wasn't. They have now sent us a nasty demand asking for the amount again.
HMRC say to ensure this is paid correctly as it is overdue we must add a 4 character code onto the end of our 13 character reference number. To obtain this 4 character code, we must visit an obscure part of the online system.
I visited it. It asked me for my 17 character reference number to gain access ......... I rang them. I was in the queue for 19 mins. I hung on, fevered spittle forming on my lips. They answered and then cut me off.
I'm not sure what Real Time means to HMRC. It no doubt means finding a wormhole that I wont have the password for. I'm not sure what System means to HMRC but suggests to me something that has the potential to work.
No-one and I mean NO-ONE knows how to provide a service today that does not require filling the customer with a sense of dread or raising stress levels.
HMRC, the Bank, Utilities, Local Council etc etc - all utterly useless. And when THEY fail and make out you are at fault, WELL IT DOES MAKE YOU CHUCKLE DOESN'T IT?
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My sıster has been charged on her self assessment for a Student loan, she does not have one, so goıng to phone them today. When we had a rebate we asked them to put ıt ınto our UK bank account and ıt was done next day. Mınd you ıt took 6 months for them to re-assess my husbands tax and I complaıned to the department manager that the person dealıng wıth our assessment was askıng questıons that were ırrelevanant and I got a reply by email apologısıng for theır ıncompetance.
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It gives me no joy, but I've said this before that HMRC are the worst organisation in the world to deal with, Turk Telecom being second, particularly if you have an issue. Pushed from pillar to post, letters taking months to get a response, no connection between departments and tax offices, telephone people who can't see what administrators can see and vice versa. Never the same person dealing with a complaint, just pure frustrating misery. So George you have my full sympathy.
Its usually the poor sod on PAYE that gets the worst from the HMRC as they are the easiest target, large corporates, companies or self employed tax dodgers get a soft time because they fall under the category of 'difficult' for HMRC staff to deal with.
Menthol you are right the utilities, banks, local councils etc are useless to deal with, but at least they can be appealed to outside to obudsman / regulators. Yes I know they may not be too hot themselves, but generally it does get sorted when you get it away from the utility or bank. HMRC are a law unto themselves, with no effective external obudsman or regulator, and they have the right to fine you if you don't do what they say or want ...... and then they can add interest too >:( >:( >:( >:(
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After a phone call to a jobs worth at HMRC ıt appears my sister has a P60 missing and needs this to fınalıse her tax return. Jobs worth told her she had a copy in front of her but was not goıng tell her what was on it. !!!!
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And these are the people who are servants of the public.