Andy Egwim tips baristas but not the tax man. He argues that overpaying taxes due to ignorance isn't generosity, it's a hidden loss. HMRC rarely tells you when you've paid too much, and many people only find out after someone reviews their accounts.
I like to tip my barber. Does a great job. I tip for good service at the restaurant as well. I even tip my barista. A barista at the local coffee shop, particularly if he can make a mean copper. But I draw the line at tipping the taxman. Should you pay tax you genuinely owe? Absolutely. But I don't want to overpay and tip the taxman. I mean, paying tax is part of living in a functioning society, and yes, That money funds public services. But paying more tax than you legally need to simply because nobody showed you the rules or you didn't understand the rules, that's not generosity. That's just money quietly leaking out, disappearing. And here's the interesting thing. HMRC doesn't send you a thank you card for overpaying. They don't say, hey, Andy, that was very kind of you. Sometimes you only discover you've been overpaying when somebody actually looks, or sometimes it's too late. I'm not against paying tax. In fact, I'm against accidentally paying more tax than the law requires. And that's one of the things we look for in the Doctor's Tax Extra Workshop. That's what we're delving into this weekend. If you like the details, comment extra and I'll send you the details. And if you don't hate overpaying taxes, if you love overpaying taxes, this workshop is not for you. All right.
