Most bizarre tax excuses revealed

Submitting tax returns is undoubtedly an extremely dull process and one that it is no surprise to find so many people are keen to avoid.

As such, plenty of Britons are guilty of failing to enter their financial information on time – and with the January 31st deadline for this year's returns just around the corner, the government has decided to publish a guide to some of the most bizarre excuses given by those who have been late in previous years.

It started by revealing a self-employed builder once got in touch with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to inform its tax department that his goldfish had died and that he would not be able to send off his end-of-year results in time.

If you think that is bizarre, you should keep reading to find out about some of the even stranger reasons Britons have given, such as the Midlands-based farmer who put his lack of submission down to having a run-in with a cow.

A woman from London said she simply could not concentrate on tax matters after seeing a volcanic eruption on the news, a hairdresser in Leicester declared she was given an incorrect deadline by her husband that she believed and a Coventry writer said he had been far too busy touring the country.

Other excuses included cruising around the world on a yacht, blaming a wife for refusing to hand over post and being unable to go upstairs – where the tax return was – due to a dodgy back.

Ruth Owen, HMRC's director general of personal tax, 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."

She added everyone must now file their tax return online by January 31st and there is "no excuse not to".

And if you really cannot manage it, blaming it on a pet or relative is probably not the best idea.