This is my favourite story about a taxpayer who walked in planning on going to jail and walked out the happiest man in Lake Macquarie.
Ron (whose name has been changed for obvious reasons) had failed to lodge a tax return for 17 years 17 YEARS!!!!!!! He got busy for a few years and kept putting it off and then got nervous about being late and getting fines, so he just stopped altogether, and the longer this went on the more terrified he became about getting in trouble, and the less likely he was to get his affairs in order.
Meanwhile, his wife Jill, who had no clue what was going on, kept all his receipts in a shoebox, with his group certificate and bank statements every year and gave it to him on an RDO and told him to go get his shit sorted. Every year
You know what Ron did???? He went to the pub, every year and every year he would sit at the pub staring at his shoebox of pain and consider how much he would enjoy sharing a cell with Bubba. and then he would go home, tell Jill he was all sweet and the refund was on its way........he even gave Jill a bit of cash every year to perpetuate the myth, a few weeks later.
So after 17 years of living in terror, Ron finally worked up the courage to come have a quiet chat with me......and he was seriously the most miserable-looking bloke you could ever see in a reception.....you would have thought I was gonna tie the noose around his neck.
Ron had no idea that for each and every year he was entitled to a refund, and as it turned out, it was not an insubstantial refund for each year.....because god bless his employer, who failed to update his tax tables regularly, so the PAYG W was overcooked by a significant margin.
So when I did all his returns and called him in to get the news, he came in, sat down and sighed and then said, "right son....what is the damage?"
"Well, Ron, after claiming all your work-related deductions, and taking into account rebates and whatnot, the total amount is $42,000"
"$42,000!!!!! Where am I gonna find $42,000???? My missus is gonna KILL me!!!"
"No Ron, I think you misunderstood me mate. It’s a $42,000 REFUND mate."
Ron got himself a new set of dentures, took his wife on a long-overdue holiday, and paid a big chunk off his home loan.
Needless to say, Ron is now my first tax return each and every year now.
Good old Ron......puts a smile on my face every time I see him. He is my biggest fan, and I get a kick out of seeing him every year!!