Tax return white space fiasco....

Tax return white space fiasco....

Didn't find your answer?

Would anyone out there be prepared to believe that the Revenue cannot actually access the useful information we have all been told to put in the white space on clients tax returns (to supposedly help lessen the chance of an enquiry or to protect against discovery etc).....

Well it would appear to be true. I am currently chasing up an old refund from a loss relief carry back claim made on a clients 2003/04 tax return. Details of the claim and the refund due were meticulously recorded in the white space of the return and the return was then submitted by FBI (on time).

HMRC have written to me asking for a copy of the white space entry because they cannot access it!!!

Now this may be an isolated problem that is peculiar to the capture of this particular tax return but if not then it does get you thinking.

In particular what was the point of including all that guff that we were advised to put on tax returns re the Settlements legislation and husband and wife dividends if no one at the Revenue's end can actually read it. Pity also all the man hours that the various tax and accountancy bodies put into drafting the advice on which type of white space disclosure we should use depending on individual clients circumstances.

Another one for the Working Against Each Other meetings to debate methinks.

Anyone else out there experienced any White Space problems?
John Gilbertson

Replies (4)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

Judi Castille senior partner of SP Consultancy LLP Kent, company formations and tax structures
By freelance32
14th Mar 2006 01:45

CT600
Same with the box on the CT600,"Why you are not inc the accounts" - reason, "Not in PDF format - being sent by mail".

Apparently that was a system error that allowed me to continue to file online, and obtain a confirmation from the Rev 3 days later, stating that my on-line had been sucessful.

I then got a stroppy phone call saying that I should have logged out at the point I ticked the "Not inc the accounts", as its all either on-line or by post - not both!!!

I told them to get their system sorted, and the on-line screen should have automatically disconnected me with an informative and polite message. I was promptly told that it wasnt their problem, and was cut off!!!

The revenue seem to have a lot of "White space" within many of their staffs "grey matter" !!!

Thanks (0)
avatar
By User deleted
10th Mar 2006 20:06

yeah, but no, but maybe...
They can, or used to be able to, access the white space on FBI returns, maybe there was a specific problem with this one or returns filed at the time this was one.

EDS and their successors were capable of arranging anything, and hiding the white space on a few returns sounds well within the level their special skills.

Thanks (0)
Scalloway Castle
By scalloway
10th Mar 2006 21:10

Waste of time
I spoke to a local tax office to confirm my understaning of how some thing should be treated. I suggested to the person at the other end that I would give an explanation in the white space but he told me not to bother as nobody would ever read it!

Thanks (0)
avatar
By noradh
12th Mar 2006 08:36

No surprise!
A client of mine was investigated by HMRC. He had inherited a lot of money during the year in question, and this led to a large increase in taxable income. This was fully explained in the white space. I pointed this out to the investigating officer, and he said he had not seen the explanation. He insisted on continuing with the enquiry. It lasted for 9 months, but the client was completely vindicated at the end.

Thanks (0)