In its (by now) annual outing of excuses taxpayers use for not filing their tax return on time, this year’s list reads like a menagerie ranging from the bizarre to the downright foolish. Last year, we heard such classics as ‘my pet goldfish died’ and ‘I had a run-in with a cow’, but this year it’s all the Ps - from President Obama, to pets dogs, parrots and pregnancy in the list of excuses, none of which were found to be reasonable on appeal.

HMRC wryly commented that “people can have a genuine excuse for missing a tax deadline, but owning a pet with a taste for HMRC envelopes isn’t one of them.”

The message was clear ahead of the 2013–2014 deadline - file on time or face penalties. HMRC also remind those intending to file online that they must be registered for HMRC Online Services. This involves HMRC sending an Activation Code in the post, which takes 10 days to arrive.