Hmrc (the English Taxman)

[AyG]

A month ago I sent a message to HMRC asking whether they'd received a form (R43) from me. (I sent it about three months ago.)

Today I received a reply:

"Unfortunately, i will not be able to advise you if we have received your claim. We currently have a delay of 14 weeks in processing the R43 forms. Hence, it will not be possible for me to look for your claim. If you have not heard anything in say two and a half months please contact us again."

They owe me money - and it's going to take them more 5 months simply to say whether they've received my form. Who knows how long I'm going to have to wait for my tax refund!

A bunch of hopeless incompetents (to put it mildly).

[normanx1234]

You should set up online tax return filing. Repayments are then made in 3 or 4 days. A bit messy the first year, but very easy thereafter.

[snuggzzz]

I do not wish to be to the purveyor of bad news, but reported recently in the Papers, the Labour Party have just been refunded £4.5m by HMRC , which has upset many, as the rebate is taking 12-18 months to be paid to normal people..........

[personchester]

A month ago I sent a message to HMRC asking whether they'd received a form (R43) from me. (I sent it about three months ago.)

Today I received a reply:

"Unfortunately, i will not be able to advise you if we have received your claim. We currently have a delay of 14 weeks in processing the R43 forms. Hence, it will not be possible for me to look for your claim. If you have not heard anything in say two and a half months please contact us again."

They owe me money - and it's going to take them more 5 months simply to say whether they've received my form. Who knows how long I'm going to have to wait for my tax refund! A bunch of hopeless incompetents (to put it mildly).

I appreciate you are not satisfied with the current state of affairs, but they are not "incompetents" they are probably doing this in order to ensure that you will decide next year to do your annual tax return "online" in which case the computer will do 80% of the work, thus liberating the HMRC staff from a now out dated paperwork system

Moreover, it will benefit you, you get from the computer an instant result (tax wise) and instant confirmation from HMRC, and if you give them details of your bank A/c any repayments will reach you via electronic transfer within a week thus solving your problem.

[AyG]

You should set up online tax return filing. Repayments are then made in 3 or 4 days. A bit messy the first year, but very easy thereafter.

Uh, no.

(1) I submitted an R43 - not an SA100 - I wasn't making a regular tax return.

(2) The HMRC online system doesn't cover the non-resident pages for a regular tax return, so is useless for non-residents. (You're expected to buy expensive software from a third party if you want to make the return online.)

[SMEEERE]

I wonder how long it would take them to process it if you owed them money,? ,sounds thai almost !

[samran]

I wonder how long it would take them to process it if you owed them money,? ,sounds thai almost !

thai tax returns can be done online. Refunds are generally processed very quickly.

i've done submitted myself to 'the system' in Australia, Thailand and the UK.

People love to knock the Thai bureacracy whether it be tax, visa's etc etc, but on just about all front it is better than the UK by miles.

As for the OP, I HMRC write to me with a fine for not sumbmitting a self assessment - 4 years after I left the UK. I fortunately had the letter I had sent to them 3 years before, telling them I had left the UK and would no longer be availing myself to their 'services'.

It took about 3 months to come back to me with an apology, and 'waiver' for my fine. Numpties.

[phutoie2]

Last year I was late sending mine off, in August (08) and finally was paid on 10 Feb 09.

A long wait but nice when it was paid into the bank.

Now HMRC know that I permanently live in Thailand they sent this years R43 with my address and tax reference number printed on it + return envelope.

Thanks for the info on long wait time.

[opalhort]

I don't know what you guys talk about tax matters in the West, but here in Thailand it is very easy (I only have taxes due in Thailand).

This year in mid-March I filed the 91 form and a refund of 5.20 Baht was due to me (overpaid - rounding errors) and end of April I got a cheque for 5.20 Baht!!!! (yes five Baht and twenty Satang!)

How is this for efficiency?

opalhort

[phutoie2]

Opal please read the title of this post again, then engage brain before posting.

Though the OP refers to the English taxman it is the tax office (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Wherever you live in the world it is hard to escape the UK taxman!.

Spend your 5.20 Baht wisely.

[opalhort]

Sorry for the off-topic post. I fully understand the OP's post and topic.

I was only making the remark to samran's post (should have quoted it):

People love to knock the Thai bureacracy whether it be tax, visa's etc etc, but on just about all front it is better than the UK by miles.

opalhort

[billd766]

I registered for self assessment tax on line years ago and the taxman knows That I live in Thailand.

I do my online return around November and any refund I am due is normally paid within a month.

The exception last yaer was that they sent me a cheque to my registered address in Thailand because I had forgotten to ask them to pay it into my offshore account.

I only pay tax on my pensions as I left the UK in 1999 and moved permanently to Thailand in 2001.

I rang my tax department yesterday afternoon over in Cardiff and we sorted out the extra tax I will pay now that I get a state retirement pension.

I spoke to a very pleasnt lady and the whole thing was completed in about 7 minutes.

Other than having to pay tax in the first place I have had no complaints with HMRC at all.