In the recent case of J Day & A Dalgety, two taxpayers had sold three properties that they owned together. The case concerned negligence and penalties for carelessness, as they did not include any details of capital gains relating to the property sales on their returns. They argued that this was because the gains were below the annual exemption and therefore did not realise that they needed to be included.
One of the taxpayers also claimed that one of the houses sold was their only or main residence and that Private Residence Relief (PRR) should have been available.
HMRC raised discovery assessments and levied penalties for carelessness on both taxpayers, which they appealed.
The First-tier Tribunal agreed that the taxpayers had been careless in not including details on the returns. The taxpayers made a number of errors in their calculations, including attempting to deduct mortgage fees, claiming they were deductible under TCGA 1992, s 38(1)(c). However, the tribunal found that such costs were not included in the list of “incidental costs” in s 38(2) and were therefore not allowable.
In terms of the PRR claim, the tribunal found that the first taxpayer had not lived in the property with any degree of permanence or continuity as required by the relevant case law (Goodwin v Curtis [1998] STC 475). No notice had been given to HMRC or to his employers that he had moved house and no invoices were addressed to him at the property.
The Tribunal dismissed the taxpayers’ appeals, agreeing with HMRC that both taxpayers had been negligent in preparing their tax returns by not including details of the property disposals.
It is important to ensure that proper care is taken with filing self-assessment tax returns and all relevant sources of income or gains are included where required in order to mitigate the risk of penalties. Eaves and Co would be happy to assist if you or your clients have any concerns.