Taxman says sorry after £100 penalty notice blunder
The taxman is to write and apologise for sending hundreds of taxpayers £100 penalty notices even though they had filed their self-assessment tax returns weeks before the deadline.
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) admitted the mistake after The Times revealed on Saturday that taxpayers who had filed online were sent letters telling them they were late and would have to pay a fine. The deadline for online returns is January 31.
The tax office insisted until last night that those given penalties had filed late paper returns and so should pay. The deadline for paper tax returns was October 31.
More than 650 taxpayers received HMRC’s letters. Dan Neidle, a partner at Clifford Chance, the City law firm, filed a tax return in his…