Dead Goldfish Tops 10 Best Excuses For Doing Taxes Late

Here's 10 Amazing Excuses For Doing Your Taxes Late
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moodboard via Getty Images

Brits may find doing their taxes deathly boring, but they have much more fun inventing excuses for why their tax return is late.

HMRC's director general of personal tax, Ruth Owen, said: "There will always be unforeseen events that mean a taxpayer could not file their tax return on time. However, your pet goldfish passing away isn't one of them.

"If you haven't yet sent your 2012/13 tax return to HMRC, you need to do it online and pay the tax you owe by the end of January."

Here, as compiled by HMRC, are the oddest and most extraordinary excuses for not filling out your tax return.

Oddest tax excuses
My pet goldfish died(01 of10)
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So said a self-employed builder.
I had a run-in with a cow(02 of10)
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So said a Midlands farmer.
Damn volcanoes...(03 of10)
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"After seeing a volcanic eruption on the news, I couldn't concentrate on anything else", said a woman in London.
My wife won't give me my mail(04 of10)
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So said a self-employed trader.
Blame the husband(05 of10)
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A Leicester hairdresser said her husband told her the deadline was 31 March and she believed him.
I've been far too busy with my play! (06 of10)
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One Coventry writer insisted he had been far too busy touring the country with his one-man play.
Blame my back...(07 of10)
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A working taxi driver told HMRC that his bad back meant he couldn't go upstairs, where his tax return was.
I'm on my yacht too much (08 of10)
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One man in the South East of England tried to blame how much he travels on the yacht, saying he has been cruising around the world on it and only picks up the post when on dry land.
Our business doesn't really do anything(09 of10)
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So said a financial services firm in Kent.
I've been too busy submitting my clients' tax returns(10 of10)
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So said a truly selfless, if absent-minded, London accountant.