BIZARRE excuses used by people who failed to complete their tax returns on time have been released by HM Revenue and Customs ahead of the January 31 deadline.
"My mother-in-law is a witch and put a curse on me" and "I'm too short to reach the postbox" are among some of the reasons given over the past year.
Another said to be too busy because a maid had left and one claimed to be unable to type because their boiler had broken and their fingers were too cold.
Dubious expenses claims were also revealed including a carpenter who tried to claim £900 for a 55-inch TV and sound bar tohelp him price his jobs.
Others tried to claims almost £800 for pet dog insurance, a family holiday to Nigeria and a music subscription.
The deadline for sending 2017-18 Self Assessment tax returns to HMRC, and paying any tax owed, is 31 January 2019.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC Director General of Customer Services, said: "We want to make it as simple as possible for our customers to do their tax returns and the majority make the effort to do theirs right and on time. But each year we still come across some poor excuses and expenses which range from problems with maids to televisions.
"Help will always be provided for those who have a genuine excuse for not submitting their return on time but it’s unfair to the majority of honest taxpayers when others make bogus claims.
"If you think you might miss the deadline, get in touch with us now. The earlier we're contacted, the more we can help."
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