20337
LONDON TRIBUNAL CENTRE Reference No: LON/2007/651
Copy sent to:
Appellant/Applicant
Respondents
TEAMSPIRIT HOLDINGS LIMITED Appellant
- and -
THE COMMISSIONERS FOR HER MAJESTY'S REVENUE AND CUSTOMS Respondents
Tribunal: NICHOLAS ALEKSANDER (Chairman)
TYM MARSH
Sitting in public in London on 27 June 2007
DIRECTION
under Rule 30(8)
THIS APPEAL against a decision of the Respondents with respect to a Default Surcharge being a reasonable excuse appeal as defined by Rule 2 of the Value Added Tax Tribunals Rules 1986 coming on for hearing today
AND UPON HEARING Alistair Britton, a director of the Appellant, for the Appellant and Gloria Orimoloye, Advocate, of the Solicitors Office of HM Revenue & Customs for the Respondents
AND THIS TRIBUNAL having heard this appeal under Rule 26(2) and having announced its decision
AND THE parties present at the hearing or by their said representatives stating pursuant to Rule 30(8) of the Value Added Tax Tribunal Rules 1986 that they do not require the said decision to be recorded in a written document in accordance with Rules 30(1)
THIS TRIBUNAL FINDS THAT the Appellants attempted to pay the VAT due in respect of the return for the period September 2006 to December 2006 on 5 January 2007 via the CHAPS system. The due date by which payment had to reach the Respondents for this return was 31 December 2006, but was extended by seven days (in accordance with the statement on the reverse of the VAT return) in the case of electronic payments until 7 January 2007 (but as this was a Sunday the payment would have to reach the Respondents' account on 5 January 2007. The electronic systems used by the Appellant's bank would not allow the full payment to be processed, notwithstanding that it was within the Appellant's CHAPS ceiling and overdraft facility, and only permitted a payment of £26,345.5 to be made. The balance was paid on the next business day, being Monday 8 January 2007. The Tribunal considers that the default was due to failures by the Appellant's bank. Accordingly the Appellants had a reasonable excuse for their default
AND THIS TRIBUNAL DIRECTS THAT this appeal is allowed
AND that there is to be no direction as to costs
NICHOLAS ALEKSANDER
Chairman
Release Date: 11 September 2007
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