SO tax doesn't have to be taxing, huh?
Big fat HA!
Having undertaken some freelance work last year, I found myself presented with my first tax return recently.
Have you ever seen one of these things? It came in three parts: one form, about 12 pages long, which had to be filled in and returned; a large booklet, about 30 pages long, detailing how to fill in the form; and a smaller form for working out your own tax (if you have a degree in advanced maths, that is).
Now, I'm not stupid, by most definitions. I have a degree in English. I can do an easy Su Doku.
But this form made me feel like a four-year-old charged with understanding the theory of relativity.
And it wasn't as if I was bogged down with hundreds of relevant figures - I was only self-employed for around six months, and earned less than £1,000 on top of my usual, employed, wage. There were no expenses or extras to include; no complicated tax-exemptions to enter.
In the end I only had to put in about six or seven figures. But it took me nigh on two hours to work this out - and even then I wasn't sure I had filled it in right.
And no, I didn't have a go at working out how much I owe them. I didn't have another spare four hours.
It really will put me off doing the same thing again. Unless you're earning a decent amount - and can therefore afford to pay an accountant to do this form-filling for you - it doesn't seem worth the effort.
So, Adam Hart-Davis, you're wrong: Tax IS taxing.
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