HMRC has recently published a list of odd excuses it has received for those who failed to file their Self-Assessment tax return on time.  As might be expected, some people seem to be trying their luck!
The list includes:

1. My pet goldfish died (self-employed builder)
2. I had a run-in with a cow (Midlands farmer)
3. After seeing a volcanic eruption on the news, I couldn’t concentrate on anything else (London woman)
4. My wife won’t give me my mail (self-employed trader)
5. My husband told me the deadline was 31 March, and I believed him (Leicester hairdresser)
6. I’ve been far too busy touring the country with my one-man play (Coventry writer)
7. My bad back means I can’t go upstairs. That’s where my tax return is (a working taxi driver)
8. I’ve been cruising round the world in my yacht, and only picking up post when I’m on dry land (South East man)
9. Our business doesn’t really do anything (Kent financial services firm)
10. I’ve been too busy submitting my clients’ tax returns (London accountant)

And it seems that the recent festive season didn’t stop some from filing their tax returns as 1,566 people filed theirs online on Christmas Day.

Around 17,000 returns were filed on Christmas Eve and 4,493 on Boxing Day.

I do hope these people hadn’t been at the Christmas sherry before they filed!

As readers should be aware, the filing deadline is 31 January 2014 for 2012-13 tax returns so if you haven’t filed the return yet, you should make it a priority.