Tax breaks because of excessive cost living expenses.

MoneysavingNewbie

Hi, A little bit of background, I have worked all my life, never claimed a single penny in any benefit, and always paid whatever tax was asked of me (PAYE).

However my basic cost of living expenses for clothing are vastly higher than most peoples due to my height (7ft tall, 23stone).

I don't have the option of walking into Matalan and buying a £9 paid of jeans when money is tight, if I am lucky, I might find a £70 paid of jeans online, or more likely buy from the US and pay import tax.

Clothing is just an example, many aspects of my day to day life cost me more than everyone else. I have no option but to drive a large car, meaning higher costs of running.

With the retail downturn, shops are now even more focusing on the 75% of the population, and it's now impossible to even shop for t-shirts and shoes on the highstreet.

At what sort of height does this become legally classed as a disability?

Are there any tax breaks I should be taking advantage of to offset my higher outlays?

McKneff

No, sorry.

Try the internet rather than the high street.

Have you looked at 'High and Mighty'

MoneysavingNewbie

McKneff wrote: »

No, sorry.

Try the internet rather than the high street.

Have you looked at 'High and Mighty'

And have you looked at their prices? Yes I do use them on occasion, and my clothes cost 10x the price of "normal" people. More often I have no other option but to personally import clothes from the US, as even H&M don't have jeans in long leg with my waist (there is a flawed assumption that outlier people are either tall and skinny or short and fat...)

McKneff

Haha, we are never happy, I havent looked at their prices, seeing as I'm only five foot 3 and seven and a half stone. I have the opposite problem, I have to take at least 6 inches of the bottom of trousers, and turn sleeves up or sew hems up on them. Sometimes I can get away with shopping int he teenagers sections.

Annie x

Trying_to_be_good

Not sure the government will subsidise through tax breaks, the disability/health route I know nothing about, buy I'm a tall lady (only six foot but that's apparently totally abnormal!) and have found a BRILLIANT seamstress in the town I live on the south coast. She can make from copying clothes I already have - it might be a cheaper option than importing?

Andy_L

Many years ago a guy I knew of similar height used to get his (very large) shoes via the NHS