20,907
of 50,000 signatures
To Jim Harra, HMRC's First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive
In 2020-2021 we were still living through the pandemic, lots of self-employed people were unable to work due to Covid restrictions. Now HMRC is fining 180,000 people who didn't earn anything that tax year. It's a kick in the teeth to the self-employed, some of us who are just getting back on our feet after a tough few years of covid + cost of living materials increases.
They're fining people who didn't earn more than £12,500 for late filing. The rules used to be, if you were late filing and then showed you didn't owe any tax - your fine would be cancelled. This rule made sense. The new rules don't and they're leaving people confused and facing unjust fines of thousands of pounds that will take years to pay back.
As one self-employed person says: “I thought this was a mistake so I disregard the notice. I ended up paying more than £2,000. I’ve appealed several times without success. I was poor before, I’m even more poor now. I don’t have any savings to pay the fine. I had to make an agreement to pay £20 a month. It is going to take years.”
They're fining people who didn't earn more than £12,500 for late filing. The rules used to be, if you were late filing and then showed you didn't owe any tax - your fine would be cancelled. This rule made sense. The new rules don't and they're leaving people confused and facing unjust fines of thousands of pounds that will take years to pay back.
As one self-employed person says: “I thought this was a mistake so I disregard the notice. I ended up paying more than £2,000. I’ve appealed several times without success. I was poor before, I’m even more poor now. I don’t have any savings to pay the fine. I had to make an agreement to pay £20 a month. It is going to take years.”
Petition text
We, the undersigned, are calling for the law and HMRC practice to urgently change. If you're under the tax threshold and filing late, you should not be required to pay a penalty that exceeds the tax you owe.
HMRC: Stop fining self-employed people unfairly
Next step - spread the word
HMRC: Stop fining self-employed people unfairly
HMRC: Stop fining self-employed people unfairly
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