Dead goldfish used as tax return excuse in UK

It’s that time of the year across the United Kingdom when citizens and legal residents have to file their self-assessment forms for tax purposes for the prior year spanning 2012-2013. Those not submitting the forms on time to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are assessed a £100 fine. It is possible to get excused from the fine if the reason for filing late is deemed acceptable. To help people out, the HMRC has listed some curious excuses which people have unsuccessfully used to try and avoid the £100 penalty.

Bereavement over dead pet goldfish – A builder attempted to use this excuse as the reason for his late filing. It might have stood a better chance if he had a doctor’s note.
Volcanic Eruption – a woman read an article about the natural event and it literally shook her so much she missed the deadline for filing.
Bad back – a taxi driver’s back problems didn’t hamper his ability to work, but it did prevent him from walking upstairs to his residence to fetch the paperwork.
World travel by yacht – a sailor hardly came in to dry land during his world journey and didn’t have much occasion to collect his post.

On The Web:
Goldfish death among flimsiest excuses for sending late tax returns
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jan/02/excuses-late-tax-returns