A really taxing business
In 1972, I was awarded a Political Fellowship from the Joseph Rowntree Social Service Trust to enable me to work full-time as a researcher in the House of Commons for Rt Hon Merlyn Rees MP, the Labour Party’s Opposition spokesperson on Northern Ireland. I had to sort out my own tax and national insurance.
Ever since then – that is, for the past 35 years – each year I have had to complete a tax return. It is an exercise that I find complicated and tiresome and I constantly postpone it, Yet, when I eventually get round to it, it’s not so bad after all. I’ve just spent Sunday morning completing my return for 2006/07 which is due by the end of the month.
Is there a regular task that you keep postponing?
September 9th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I’m the same way with taxes, too. Actually, sometimes I put off grading papers, which is a really bad idea.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:17 am
I get a tax return every year because, being a Company Director ensures that the Tax Office assumes you are dishonest until you prove otherwise.
The only plus side is that our accountant made us promise that the only contribution we would make to our tax returns is to sign them! This is good because an accountant can get away with putting a line through irrelevant sections on a tax form whilst ordinary mortals would have to write “nil” every time.
On the other hand, the VAT form takes a lot of effort, but you can’t procrastinate too long because the fines for late submission are really severe.