Sunday Solutions Anyone Else Having A Problem

[moggy]

Hi,

So who is ultimately responsible for stealing my money? If you had to pick one guy that is to blame and gained for it who would you choose? I'm thinking I might have a polite word with him.

I'm gonna throw it out there... You unfortunately

[cojak]

I'm gonna throw it out there... You unfortunately

Moggy was the brave soul who posted what all the regulars on here thought.

The promoter creamed off his 5/10% - you were the one who got 83/90% of his day rate back. Who was supposed to give the tax man money?

I'm not opening this forum to bashing posts, but you did ask and someone needed to answer.

[MrO666]

Great. Thanks guys. I'm the victim of fraud and I get that.

Should have known really, In 108 pages of posts there has actually been nothing done or no useful advice.. so why would anyone actually help me here!

nice one trolls!

bye

Sorry, but what exactly are you on about ?

There was no fraud committed by anyone, just stupidity on your part for obviously not having a clue what you were signing up for.

I genuinely sympathise with some people in this position, but for somebody who seems to thinks that receiving 80-90% of their day rate, that they were still cheated is quite clearly deluded.

As for insulting people who tell you the truth.......well, the truth hurts I guess.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Hi,

So who is ultimately responsible for stealing my money? If you had to pick one guy that is to blame and gained for it who would you choose? I'm thinking I might have a polite word with him.

The company that you decided to make responsible for your tax payments no longer exists: Insolvency Service - Press Releases - Court winds up another Sunday Solutions tax umbrella company None of the Directors involved appear to have any trading companies at the moment (according to DueDil) so I am afraid that you don't really have much of a target for your anger. Unfortunately, as with anything else, caveat emptor applies - you signed on the dotted line because the idea of 90% take home vs 70% through a legitimate vehicle appealed to you. Don't waste your time trying to apportion blame - contact HMRC and see what you can do to sort the mess out. There is loads of info on this site on other avoidance schemes - I am sure you will find something that will be of use to you.

[malvolio]

The advice not to use such companies has been around since at least 2003 on various contractor websites, so there's little excuse for not knowing (or being aware of) the level of risk involved. Secondly, anyone who really thinks they need only pay less than 10% personal tax on UK earnings when the absolute minimum tax band is 20% ought really to be asking how and getting professional advice, rather than relying on people who themselves clearly don't understand the risk or, worst of all, believing the words of the people selling the scheme. As you have discovered, it's not them that has to pay the final bill.

"How was I to know" is not a valid defence. It's up to you to understand how you're being paid and to get your taxable income declared accurately.

And having just seen your last post, go do some digging on FCSA while you're at it.


EDIT: Actually, here's a thought. Look at how many of FCSA's members talk about maximising your income and have divisions looking at planning and the rest, and how many are basically accountancy firms. There is only one set of tax laws in the UK and one set of expenses guidelines. Other than charging you less , how would an umbrella - someone who you contract to under an employment contract and who pays you through PAYE - be able to affect your net income?

[MrO666]

Shabba........

You really look like your trying to find somebody to blame for a decision that YOU made. Had you bothered to read what you were signing back then, and also looked at what was being entered on your tax return, you would quite clearly have realised that the scheme promoter was not paying any tax or NI on your behalf......and more importantly, nor did they ever say they would.

Nobody stole your money at all, you quite willingly agreed to let them return you X% of your contract, that's the long and short of it. From that respect they probably did exactly what they said they would do, so what's your problem (other than a tax bill).

Too many people are always looking for someone else to blame for decisions they made. If you took the word of other people and didn't bother to investigate yourself, then i'm sorry, but more fool you.

The long and short of it is you will more than likely receive an APN which you will legally have to pay. Don't waste your time, effort and money looking for someone to blame, it's a fruitless exercise.

Out of the many people on these forums in the same position, you are the first I've seen who quite clearly is either truly deluded in what you were doing, or was so unbelievably naive that you thought this could never come back to bite you.

I was in the same position, took it on the chin and sorted it out. I knew what I was doing and knew it carried a risk........which is the same for more or less everyone else on this forum. Of course we all hoped it would never bite, but it has so you deal with it (one way or another).

Stop moaning about decisions which YOU made. I would never normally write a forum entry like this, but your whole attitude is just annoying. There are many people on here who are in serious financial trouble, the last thing they need is you moaning like a 5 year old who's had his ice cream taken away.

Grow up.

[LandRover]

The advice not to use such companies has been around since at least 2003 on various contractor websites, so there's little excuse for not knowing (or being aware of) the level of risk involved.

I don't agree. First timers into contracting are pretty overwhelmed with what is needed to be done, let alone dealing with agencies and contracts. Many ask fellow working colleagues what they are doing, or they seek advice from Accountants.

I don't think its helpful or appreciated when people who have got caught up in all this are labelled as irresponsible and should have know better.

It's sad to see some on these forums appear to take the high and might attitude

[MrO666]

I don't agree. First timers into contracting are pretty overwhelmed with what is needed to be done, let alone dealing with agencies and contracts. Many ask fellow working colleagues what they are doing, or they seek advice from Accountants.

I don't think its helpful or appreciated when people who have got caught up in all this are labelled as irresponsible and should have know better.

It's sad to see some on these forums appear to take the high and might attitude

I don't think that it's a case of should have known better, but some people are posting comments basically saying I didn't know, it's not my fault, now I need someone to blame.

Put it this way, I bet the individual involved had a bloody good read of the employment contract before signing it, so had they paid the same attention to the scheme details then they would have at least known it was questionable if nothing else.

We've all done something we wished we hadn't in the past (yep, I had a huge tax bill too), but some of us don't look for someone else to blame.

[Rob79]

If you have been genuinely deceived, then remedy is available via legal or regulatory routes.

I have sympathy for those genuinely deceived and can understand how that happens.

I would though echo others here. When the lowest tax rate is 20% any offer which halves that should have started alarm bells ringing. At the very least people should have set aside the difference into some form of liquid investment (ISA, Gilts, whatever) so that if the scheme failed, there was something to fall back on.

Sadly though I see many (non contractor) cases where people have bought into the lies completely and have spent every penny on "stuff" that now has no value.

Things are not going to be pretty for a while but denial has to stop.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

If you read my comments I'm saying YES I SHOULD HAVE KNOW.. but i didn't.. It wasn't about gain i was deceived i didnt know 90% of 70% or any of the standard rates (i still dont). To me it was a case of asking friends how i get paid... Then 6 years later when i became aware i was inquiring as to where and or how i can pursue this. I was not blaming I am just in a tight situation. for the record:

1) I was foolish... I'm the first to admit! but back then i was 20 and my first and only contract. I asked peers and they were all older, using this and happy so i followed them.
2) Many things (personal services companies etc) were allowed then and not now.. it was a different landscape. I smelled a rat and left contracting behind but colleagues were stung with the EBT stuff.. it was different and even AFTER this..
3) Im not trying to blame.. I just want to justice as i was DECEIVED! Yes i was a mug to be deceived, but still i was deceived..

If a woman is raped walking alone in a short skirt at night does she deserve it? Of course not! Was she naive and maybe careless?.. yes! But should everyone laugh and say she had it coming? Certainly not! I see no different here. I was dumb but that doesn't give the right for a company to lie, deceive and steal from me! I was looking for just one person that might be able to direct me how i can escalate this.. and I got trolls telling me i got what was coming to me! and to take it on the chin... thanks!

No-one is trolling and I am sure we can all sympathise with your situation - we are just saying there's no point in playing the blame game. The best advice I can give you is to get in touch with a specialist lawyer - have a look at the Grays Inn Tax Chambers for example. You can now contract direct with a barrister rather than having to go through a solicitor but it will cost. Some in the industry are also suggesting that compensation for mis-selling could be an option but as the provider you used has gone down the tubes that avenue won't really help you. HMRC can and do enter into settlement agreements which would at least allow you to settle your tax debt over a reasonable period.

p.s. - the rape analogy? not cool