A holiday flight to the Caribbean? Expensive Armani jeans as protective clothing for the painter and decorator? International flights for dental treatment ahead of business meetings? These are the most outrageous expenses people have claimed back on their self-assessment tax forms!
With just a week to go until the 31 January deadline, HMRC has releases this list to ensure you don’t make similar claims:
1. Holiday flights to the Caribbean
2. Luxury watches as Christmas gifts for staff - from a company with no employees
3. International flights for dental treatment ahead of business meetings
4. Pet food for a Shih Tzu ‘guard dog’
5. Armani jeans as protective clothing for painter and decorator
6. Cost of regular Friday night ‘bonding sessions’ - running into thousands of pounds.
7. Underwear - for personal use
8. A garden shed for private use - plus the costs of the space it takes up in the garden
9. Betting slips
10. Caravan rental for the Easter weekend
The expenses above were all rejected.
Ruth Owen, HMRC Director General of Customer Services, had the following to say to taxpayers, “Year after year we receive a number of ludicrous expense claims, ranging from international holiday flights to expensive designer clothing, which we would never uphold. Why should the honest taxpayer pick up the bill for others? HMRC will only accept those claims which are genuine, such as legitimate travel expenses or the cost of tools for the job.
The weeklong countdown to the 31 January Self-Assessment deadline is now on. Don’t delay and risk a penalty, the time to submit your tax return is now.
