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back to article HMRC beer duty bungle leaves breweries struggling to pay online

The UK's taxmen have scuppered several piss-ups after brewers discovered the Government Gateway's online duty calculator can't calculate the latest beer tax hikes. "It would have been sensible if, prior to announcing the change, the Chancellor established whether HMRC and the businesses impacted were capable of administering …

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  1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    It just goes to show that HMRC couldn't organise...

    22 0 Reply
    1. Halfmad
      Reply Icon

      I'm disappointed that El'Reg didn't jump on that one to be honest.

      8 0 Reply
    2. TRT Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      HMRC

      Caught on the hops again. Still, at least the brewers aren't bitter about it. It's only a mild setback, could have been a much lager problem.

      31 0 Reply

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. Swarthy
          Reply Icon
          Coat

          Re: HMRC

          These kind of imperial decrees, without the software being stout enough to head-off complaints... that's just duff government there, a sign of the ale-ments of the times. At yeast they didn't screw up the VAT; but you know HMRC won't bock down on the dew date.

          12 0 Reply
        2. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          Re: HMRC

          stop wining...

          0 0 Reply
      2. a pressbutton
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        Re: HMRC

        In the larger scheme of things, this is just small beer really.

        6 0 Reply
    3. WonkoTheSane
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      Pint

      "It just goes to show that HMRC couldn't organise..."

      Apparently, Plaid Cymru launched their manifesto at Wrexham Lager to prove they could!

      4 0 Reply
      1. Natalie Gritpants
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        Wrexham Lager is not a brewery

        1 0 Reply
        1. Gio Ciampa
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          "Wrexham Lager is not a brewery"

          Um... I think you'll find it is.

          www.wrexhamlager.co.uk

          0 0 Reply
  2. Sir Sham Cad

    Wort a liberty!

    This article was posted with half an hour still to go untill beer-o-clock! Shocking behaviour.

    Just goes to show that Government may now have a lower case "e" in front of it but it's still the same archaic bureaucratic processes underneath.

    5 0 Reply
    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
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      Re: Wort a liberty!

      It's left you frothing at the mouth?

      6 0 Reply
      1. TRT Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Wort a liberty!

        Can't handle a beer o'clock that doesn't fall on a half-hour boundary? Tsk!

        8 0 Reply
  3. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Anyone would think the web designers/coders were tea-totalers !!

    2 0 Reply

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  4. creepy gecko

    Government & IT.

    How could there possibly be a problem?

    6 0 Reply
  5. Daedalus

    It's the bozocalypse!

    More signs that we don't have enough competent people to maintain, let alone create, the myriad bits of software that the droids in charge insist that we use.

    3 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's the bozocalypse!

      that's really easy to fix though?

      "You must complete this form online".

      "Ok, fine! By the way, If i can't, you must pay the bill for me."

      Bet things would stop going wrong fairly quickly .....

      4 0 Reply
  6. mahasamatman
    FAIL

    Not Beer !

    The article's title picture is of a litre (eine Maß ..) of Bavarian Bier (lager)

    2 0 Reply
  7. Herby

    Could be worse...

    They could have shut off beer sales for a fraction of the month. It might be the only way to calculate the taxes. Just use one rate for the whole month, and since you didn't make any for the time the new rate was in effect, no tax.

    Yeah, real bummer.

    Than again, it might start a new campaign: Don't Tax Our Beer!! (of course, good luck with that).

    0 0 Reply
  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    WTF?

    Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

    Apart from the fact it happens every f**king year annually of course.

    And it's usually a raise (although $deity knows how they'd cope with a reduction).

    0 0 Reply
    1. SkippyBing
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      Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

      I'm guessing the devs just programmed what they were asked to, the problem lies with the people who wrote the requirement. But it's okay it's not like they're in charge of anything important, like collecting taxes...

      4 0 Reply
      1. Sgt_Oddball
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        Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

        On the plus side... if they can't do the taxes then maybe we have a shot at immortality after all....

        6 0 Reply
        1. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

          unfortunately shots are made in distilleries, not in a brewery.

          Maybe the plus side is simple, "hop on"...

          and if you feel cross, don't bottle it up,

          I think I am at the bottom of the barrel now after that Tun of pun

          0 0 Reply
      2. Jay 2
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        Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

        ...and that they can change their minds in the future and retrofit said taxes. Though I hear the current big book of tax laws (or digital equivalent) is now so big and complex no-one really knows how it all works. So they're probably making it up as they go along.

        0 0 Reply
        1. Kubla Cant
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          Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

          They had plenty of notice. But as a result of the new IR35 regime, the devs no longer work at HMRC.

          1 0 Reply
      3. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Clearly this tax change has taken all the devs by surprise

        what dev's? they were all contractors who left on april 6th

        0 0 Reply
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's hardly surprising. It's the same bozos at HMRC that come up with PAYE deduction calculations that are neigh on impossible to code for. Even when they're told that it's not possible, or the rules are ambiguous, they still announce it in the budget....

    0 0 Reply

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