Has NATS annoyed the IR?

[GT3]

A lot of folks seem to be getting tax returns of late, used to be only when you went onto the higher tax bracket when you got one i thought. But some T&Ders have them too. Has NATS been up to no good and someone thought they had better take a look?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I have had to complete a Tax Return every year for at least the last 33.. but our son has never seen one! How they determine how much tax he pays I don't know.

[1261]

I'm well into the higher rate tax bracket but still don't get a tax return. A few years ago, I didn't get one that year - and I've never seen one since!

[information_alpha]

My understanding of tax returns is that it is the tax payers responsibility to inform the IR that they require a tax return to fill out for whatever reason. Also, if you move house, NATS (or whoever you work for) do NOT inform the IR that you have moved, it is your responsibility.

As with everything to do with the IR it is up to you to prove you don't owe them money, not up to them to prove you do!

Happy form filling......:{

[SirToppamHat]

I am a blue suiter, but not in higher bracket, but also recently received my first ever tax return for FY 02-03 (massively late) closely followed by one for FY 03-04. I am on PAYE and phoned the Tax Office to ask why I had suddenly been targetted. They couldn't tell me!

Mate of mine recently received a huge bill for monies owed because the RAF had cocked up his PAYE over the past 3-4 years. Beware!!!!!!!!!!

[Not Long Now]

I had never heard anything from the tax bods until 3 years ago I got a bill for THREE!! fines for not filing a tax return for the previous 3 years. I phoned the helpful number and asked why I needed to file a return, and why they hadn't mentioned this for the previous years, and was told I didn't need to file one if I was just PAYE and nothing else.
One month later, more bills and why hadn't I submitted that year's form, so rang again and spoke to another bod who said as I was in high rate, I had to file, and I was supposed to know this (didn't explain how I was supposed to know, or why their colleague had told me I didn't need to...).
Anyway, upshot was I filled in all the forms and they reduced the £300 fine to the amount of tax owed. £6 over the 3 years!! They had over taxed me for 1 and I had underpaid for 2.
I was speaking to another guy at work about this and he phoned the tax office to see if he had to file a return and was told no, only to receive a fine the next year!!!

Arse and elbow?

I'd write to your tax office and get it in writing if you're supposed to file or not. Probably wont make a difference in the end but at least you tried...

[cdtaylor_nats]

I have been filling in the things for years. If you are in the 40% tax band and have any other income eg bank interest you need to fill one in - otherwise the revenue only gets tax at the basic rate on your interest when they really want 40%.

The new simplified tax form this year looks much simpler.

[Euroc5175]

I contacted the IR to try and claim the difference between mileage rate paid by NATS for a couple of years and the amount you could claim from the IR. They promptly sent me Tax Returns for 5 years. The necessary paper collation and form filling took me a considerable time....so the IR promptly fined me for being late for the 4 previous years!

I ended up owing them a not inconsiderable sum of money and now have the pleasure of having to submit a return every year.

And I never did get the difference between the mileage rate and what you can claim!

[The Fat Controller]

As previously mentioned, the onus is on YOU to fill in a tax form once you are into 40% tax.
It would be helpful of whoever is paying you to tell you when you reach this point, then you will not be caught out as some have been.
The IR can send anyone they like a self-assessment form, so they have you every way.
If you file electronically (I did last year), all you will get in subsequent years is a reminder to do that again, and if you wish to revert to the paper version, you are required to phone them and ask.
The tax office that deal with NATS staff have been very helpful on all occasions that I have contacted them.

[Standard Noise]

They caught up with me in 1999 and sent me 4 at once. I just pleaded stupidity -"I'm a daft air traffic controller, Iwas never very good at maths and I have no idea how to fill in these sort of things, boohoo". The rather pleasant chap at the other end of the phone then talked me through the return and helped me fill them in. He even found me two money savers -
1 - tax relief on Professional subs ie Gatco
2 - extra tax relief on my AVC's (everyone gets this at 22% on their AVC's anyway) if you're a 40% tax slave then you get an extra 18%.
Oh yeah, and I was able to backdate those for the 4 years and got a very nice cheque from them come August that year.

I'm also led to believe that if you are a trade union member whose union pays for a life insurance policy out of part of your subs, then that is also eligible for tax relief, but I'm not 100% sure on that one.

[letMfly]

Standard Noise

Does the 40% relief on AVCs apply to the company pension scheme or only to external AVCs such as Standard Life etc?

letMfly