Sophie’s Tax Nightmare: £10,000 in tax debt
She was suffering from severe depression and numerous other health conditions. This stemmed from a series of related misfortunes: an eviction, the loss of her business, the loss of all her records and bank statements, and a broken relationship.
The huge debt she had accumulated felt too much to cope with. The numerous demanding statements from HMRC led to her burying her head in the sand, ignoring all correspondence. Her health deteriorated and she felt trapped, with nowhere to turn.
After Sophie called TaxAid’s helpline, one of our volunteers, Cathy, took on her case. Over the course of several interactions, she pieced together Sophie’s business accounts and then began negotiating with HMRC on Sophie’s behalf.
As a result, the penalties for Sophie’s business accounts for in-date years came down to zero. Additionally, an application for Special Relief for the out-of-date years was accepted. In the end, HMRC actually owed Sophie £138.
With TaxAid’s help and support, Sophie is now free of tax debt. The stress and worry that had hung over her for years has also gone and she has been able to move forward with her life.
This is Sophie’s story, without our support she wouldn’t have known how to piece together her business accounts or reduce her tax debt. Our mission is to ensure no one like Sophie pays a tax debt that they do not owe or understand.
