Watty's Awakening

savingholmes

Nice to have friendly neighbours. 

Shows you have a good eye to have picked those lights. Lovely that your VNM wants to restore them to their former beauty.

Glad you are feeling more positive. Hope you are having sun where you are. I am here - and I need to make myself go back out in it!

Watty1

 I have just had a call from my builder.  He added VAT to the bills and I paid, all good but I did ask for a VAT receipt and/or invoice as I planned to put it through my business.    It turns out he is shutting down his company and  therefore should not have charged me VAT so he would like to return that money he charged for VAT  I was touched at the honesty. 
I've asked him to check I paid enough because I was paying in dribs and drabs and was adding jobs as I went and then said that we should look at the amount to be refunded as I want the other 2 bedrooms done so maybe he should keep the money as part payment.

This seems a real win for me.  And completely unexpected too.    I might be able to get the other two rooms done sooner that I thought.   

badmemory

Well you can call me a cycnical old woman, but if you hadn't said it was going through the business books you would never have got that VAT back.  Also no longer being a business & just being a sole trader does not absolve him from VAT.  I used to be a bookkeeper & back a long time ago I used to regenerate accounts from peoples bank statements which doesn't account for cash obvioulsy.  You know the sort of thing. All our books went up in the fire so we have no idea how much we owe & there obviously was a lot in the safe, up in flames.

Watty1

hehehe @badmemory  That did cross my mind but for me it is a win so I'm going to take it!

badmemory

I must confess to 30 years down the line missing that "you what" buzz.  Everyone used to tell me I should be an accountant but one I was way too old to retrain & two far too literal/ not creative enough.  Although looking at some of these large accountancy companies they are way way too creative.

Slinky

Yes I have to say from my experience of running a business in the past, it sounds like a whole load of tosh to me too, unless he had so little business going on that he'd de-registered, but inadvertently forgotten about it and was still charging VAT. But seeing that he was coming to work for you on the weekends because he was so busy, it sounds unlikely.

So much VAT is lost to fraud. A competitor of mine used to keep closing his company and start up another one, run up another VAT bill he didn't pay, then start all over again. Has done it at least 3 times, maybe more. He learned it from his predecessor in the business who did the same...... Companies House are worse than useless at spotting the same people recycling the same businesses with very similar names over and over again.

Watty1

Very true    A neighbour has closed many companies and gone bankrupt twice since I have lived in the village but he still keeps his house.  For a while he didn't answer the door which made me think he was avoiding the debt collectors but he seems nice enough as a neighbour and was supportive during my troubles so if he has figured a way out of paying bills then live and let live.

I often wince when I pay my tax bills but there we are and I then remember to bless the payment as it means I am doing well, I can afford to pay them and I am grateful I am doing that well.  It means I can afford to live where I do and have the life I do and was able to leave the ex.  Despite him telling me for years I would never manage I do, and I do that well.

Am off to London today to speak at an industry event.  I do so little speaking now I'm nervous so must dash to feed the horses, turn them out into the field and muck out before making self look business like.  More later!

KajiKita

Good luck with the speaking gig. Am sure you will nail it 😊

KK

Watty1

KajiKita said:

Good luck with the speaking gig. Am sure you will nail it 😊

KK

Thanks.   A bit of a disaster as the laptop (not mine) with my presentation on was stolen (later recovered) and for the first time ever I had not taken a copy of it on a USB stick so there I was without slides.  There was nothing for it but to "wing it" and speak entirely without notes for the time.  I thought it went really well under the circumstances and had some good feedback. The only problem was my link for a give away didn't work but, I am going to go and fix that now and then email it to the organiser and ask her to share it for me.  I think she probably will as I was the only presenter affected.  A few of the other speakers were pale and worried the problem would not be resolved by the time it got to them, but as with most things, a smile, a sense of humour and cheerfulness seems to work.

Off to fix link now then cook a summer roast to enjoy in the garden.  A tiny piece of beef, some new potatoes, local asparagus and a mixed bag of veg.    I've had a lovely day gardening and out with the charming cob. The sun is shining and life seems really good.   The VNM has been here working on the lights.  About half of one is done and looking good.

KajiKita

Oh. My. Word!! I am so impressed with you!! Talk about snatching success from the jars of defeat!! 😊👏🤩🥳😁🎉 Well done. 

Dinner sounds lovely - enjoy 😊 

KK