Sorry Weeksy, kind of sounds like your having a dig at me instead!

Don't know about the bike, but I can give you a quick tip on the Inland Revenue....

I changed jobs last financial year and due to an administrative balls up by more former employer, I ended up owing IR about £12k. I had that money without too much issue and didn't have to sell all my lovely toys (phew!)

However, what IR have done now is "estimate" my tax liability for the '03/'04 financial year and are asking me to pay £6k upfront. This is a complete load of rubbish because I've figured out that I owe them about £2 in total and they probably owe me once I factor in all my Gift Aid 28p in the Pound tax break. The only way to get the IR off my back is to get my return in asap and not wait the usual couple of months.

So the moral to the story is, don't let them try to tell you that you still owe a whole bunch on the next financial year just because you did on the last!

Oh, and make sure you get your returns in on time because they'll charge you with a late fee and interest on any amount owing!

Have I had fun with the IR over the last few months or what...........

Phill

Heh, it's not just me that found them incompetent then!

First thing I knew about the IR was when I got a fine through the post for not returning a tax return! I spoke to them on the phone to explain that I'd never received one in the post, just the fine. It then took another dozen phonecalls and letters before they finally sent me the self assessment to fill in and cancelled the fine.

To top it all, this month I got a card from the postie through saying I had a letter with insufficient postage on it that I needed to pay the postage on AND the £1 handling charge. So I go collect it and can you guess what it was? This year's self assessment forms!

Mind you, I did only owe £3 from the last tax year, and I took great pleasure in asking them if I could pay in installments...

Antonye,

I had a similar debacle with changing addresses. Basically when I moved house I informed my employer, who informed the payroll people, who informed Inland Revenue. But then something internal in Inland Revenue reglected to reflect this change across all systems. So like you, I never received a self assessment form, just the lovely little late fine.

The more you owe them it seems the bigger this fine is. I'm still waiting to hear the results of my appeal for the extra £570 they're trying to claim. Of course the note I received yesterday says that the appeal is under review but that I should still pay the amount because they'll be charging interest on it and if my appeal fails I'll have to pay the extra too. *sigh* I'm caught between risking my appeal being successful versus paying the money to avoid interest and then fighting to get IR to return it at a later date.

PC

Like I said, there's certain phrases/words that if you use them when replying to the IR, then it escalates the priority of the issue.
I know for sure that including a phrase something like "to pay this amount would cause me hardship" would merit the priority change.
There are a couple of others but can't recall them at present.
I'll try and get them from ex-colleague who was ex-IR (but not a nasty one).

Yes Phill - it's amazing how they can send the fine notices to the right house but not the actual forms to fill in!!

It's not just self employed that they have stuffed up...
Child tax credits they mucked up too... They gave me two or three VERY large payments...told me that I was entitled to them. I argued on the phone and they assured me that I was and sent a letter confirming that the payments were correct... SO I spent it!
New tax year comes around...AND guess what? They made a mistake and I am not entitled to any Child tax credits for the next 2 years or so whilst they CLAW it back....

Gosh...they ARE so Clever that lot!

All the same, I yhink it's time for a change now.
Might look at a Caterham (again) but that on the lee side of the payment.
There's £ in the system as the summer is my main earner, and whilst I could delay it, I hate debt, thus sell the 748 and see what takes my fancy in September or even next year.
It sure will be a shame as I have really been one and the same (if that makes any sense!) with my 748, giving her really good blat and being repaid in spades.
This notion of Ducati unreliability - mine has been fab.
Then again, it has seen some major £ being eaten up and me drink more beer than I think is safe for a man of my age (just turned 40 and feeling every day - and spare inch of it!) plus indirectly 2x life changing injuries and 2x directly responsible injuries, so maybe it is time to take a pace back.

Quite fancy a supermoto - but then who wouldn't!?

Keep my eye on the ball - pay the dam£ bill and then work out what next.

aws