Agent alert - getting your clients ready for online VAT
The build up to mandatory online filing of VAT returns has started. HMRC will be writing to all affected businesses in the next month or so to inform them about the changes.
For VAT periods starting on or after 1 April 2010, all businesses with annual turnover of £100,000 or more will be required to file their VAT returns online and pay their VAT electronically. Smaller businesses will retain the right to file on paper, but this will be reviewed again in the run up to 2012 – the date at which HMRC services should be online based.
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I think PDF is safer
I'm not a real techie, but I thought that PDF would be more popular as it is less risky. Then you can copy and paste into Word. But I'll ask "them as know" to check.
VAT onslime is sooooo hard , that's y
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BUT BUT
The REASON so few file online is because it is suuuuuch a hard task doing all the registering – compare it to setting up Corp Tax onslime which only needs CT ref, and Co. number.
Try asking any VAT officer about this, they all know WHY no one is registering. I have managed three so far, and each time I nearly died…..
Make VAT registering onslime the same and I will put 100 cos. on within a week !
format - also another possible letter
the better format would have been plain 'txt' and then we cna do whatever etc....
anyway the letter is not much use - too much stuffy waffle. most clients don't care 2 figs of tuppny straw about all this - they just want their accountants to fix it all (for free)
what it should say is:-
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The government in their infinite wisdom, want us all to join the online community for all statutory communications. This now includes VAT returns. In future this has to be done online unless you are a business with sales less than £100k pa. The deadline for registering is………..
Sadly the collateral damage is that the ‘customers’ (taxpayers) have to jump through a million teeedious hoops to register for filing VAT.
We as your loyal/trusty/servile advisors will do all the grunt for you, but we need you to sign here………………../email us your consent to a (modest) fee of £100 for doing the extra work for you. You evade this by doing it yourself - you may suffer from Alopecia before completing this successfully.
We warn you in advance that our usual friendly advice service does not include helping you with this unless you agree the fee first – if you do it, we will only charge £95 for the telephone support – we promise not to laugh at the sound of your screaming at the other end of the phone as you register.
Yours ever obediently
Obadiah Scriggens & Co.
Registering clients
Hold on until November and it should be easier. I'll look at it as soon as it is up and report back, but it should be as easy as CT or any other tax by then....
Good idea - but
A Word document would have made it a little easier