Spring 2009 Newsletter Content Oh for a little hindsight Can't pay, won't pay? Shock in Essex Car tax You signed it Don't be late Age before beauty? IHT and falling prices More paper Shopping around Less paper PAYE or not PAYE... Flat rate scheme A change of heart There are limits Do your duty Free lunch VAT a mess Dissatisfaction guaranteed Don't believe it! Too late Tax on tick £100 note Temp reminder

Don't believe it! HMRC have issued a warning that fraudsters have been targeting taxpayers with e-mails in the run up to the 31 January self assessment tax deadline. Further fraudulent attempts to obtain personal information are likely after the deadline has passed when many people will be waiting to hear about tax refunds. The fraudsters tell the recipient they are due a repayment and ask for bank or credit card details so that it can be paid out. HMRC are also aware of a growing number of telephone scams with fraudsters posing as tax officials arranging rebate payments. Many people have seen bogus documents of this sort before, but an approach from "the taxman" might be more convincing than a fax from someone pretending to be a Nigerian government official offering a cut of an arms contract - many people have seen examples and are wise to them. Be sure who you are talking to: it's unlikely that HMRC would either ring or send an e-mail to ask you for personal information.