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Top five most bizarre tax return expense claims revealed

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
25/01/2016

Taxpayers have less than a week to file their online tax returns. Ahead of the 31 January deadline, HMRC has published the most outrageous expense claims from the 2013/14 tax returns.

The top five most bizarre are:

  • The costs for storing Mars bars overnight in a fridge
  • The cost of a pair of flip flops so I don’t have to walk barefoot between my works changing and shower rooms
  • The costs for my intimate waxing
  • I bought a second hand car to get me from home to work so I didn’t have to walk
  • I purchased my own flat, so I need to claim back the money I spent on the furniture.

Ruth Owen, HMRC director general of personal tax, said: “There are a number of items and expenses people can claim against, such as genuine business costs and items needed to do a job. But a painful beauty regime or the furniture for your own home are not items that every taxpayer in the country should be contributing towards. It’s wrong a small minority of people expect the honest majority to subsidise their lifestyle and HMRC will never allow for these to be processed as genuine claims.

Penalties for late tax returns

The penalties for late tax returns are:

  • Initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time
  • After three months, additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900
  • After six months, a further penalty of 5% of the tax due or £300, whichever is greater
  • After 12 months, another 5% or £300 charge, whichever is greater
  • There are also additional penalties for paying late of 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.

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