Efficient Accountant

[terina]

Many thanks for the replies very interesting

[SKB]

We can highly recommend our accountant who is in Vera. We have been with him over 10 years and have found him to be extremely professional and very competitively priced. His details are - Jose Fortepiani Munuera, Tel: 950 39 25 08 or 682 37 21 96.  He speaks English and his assistant is an English girl called Jordan.  If you decide to give him a call say Sam has recommended you. 

[NorrieM]

Thanks to those who sent me a pm.   We use the same person, but now, we´ll have to reconsider!

[Rtis]

We use the accountants near the cinema in H/Overa which Marina worked at , we only have state pensions and every year it is the same question, is this all you have, how can you afford to live on such a small amount, the Hacienda may investigate !! no problems at the moment, but if there is ever a problem my husband will restart the spanish armada !!!

[terina]

NorrieM have pm you

[NorrieM]

Would you please pm me with the name of the accountant who let you down.  I know of a really reliable one in Huercal Overa, but of course, it could be the same person. However if you tell me who it was, it will be kept in strict confidence and if is my accountant, I will not only know not to recommend my accountant and also to look to my own interests as well. 

[Floss]

Well, I had an accountant back in the UK who I could trust and also who if we or he made a mistake we could rectify the problem without too many problems.But, here in Spain little problems become major problems and the worst thing is you know exactly nothing until you get the dreaded yellow slip in the post box.
It was only on our insistence that we wanted our state pensions put down as earnings because we were advised we didn't need to one massive problem solved thank god.

We were told the amount of tax to pay on the figures we gave and had no prior knowledge it would be wrong 3 years down the line.
So our lives now are in limbo awaiting the next yellow slip to arrive with more fines and interest to be paid.

It's not the amount of tax owing that can be small but the interest and fines put on the total that annoys you because if you have no idea its wrong how the bloody hell do you pay it if you don't know till 3 years down the line.
That's your accountant's fault, not yours so if they made a mistake which they do, it you who picks up the bill and do you know what they don't give a sh%t other if you don't think we are professional then use someone else.

Comming to Spain no problem but becoming Fiscal residents using an inefficient accountant along with buying an illegal property the 3 worse and costly mistakes made by me in my time on this planet.

[Lynden]

Agree with most of the posts. Spanish taxes can be a daunting subject and there have been many rule changes at Federal level which sometimes do not become law in the Spanish regions; Plus Valia on your house sale for example.
There are differing rules surrounding dual taxation for ex pats too. Some pensions are taxed at source in the UK (civil service etc) and are not subject to Spanish income tax....however they must be declared and the tax shown to have been paid.
Most ex pats I know gravitated to tax advisors that could keep their bill lower and recommended the same. Even when warned they believed that it was their advisors responsibility to declare correctly. They are now paying substantial sums to the Hacienda on modest pensions.
Check with Amanda Oakley at ALO services Zurgena. If she doesn't know, she definitely knows someone who does.

[JessicaH]

For those of you fortunate folk who have never had to employ an accountant, until in Spain, once you sign for, or otherwise accept the tax an accountant has filled in for you is correct, then any error is YOUR responsibility.
Exactly the same as in UK.
The assumption by tax authorities world wide is always that it is the client, not their accountant, who has been untruthful and has hidden assets.

Unfortunately regardless of the country tax forms can be very complicated and difficult...so best keep proof of all the info you give to an accountant.

[guest4538]

Lynden  what you say is worrying, if they have made a mistake it is the client who is responsible for the outcome, ie the fine and any interest that has been incurred, why is it so complex?  at the end of the day you are paying the accountant to do a professional job, this I know from our own experience, hence my original question.

Indeed, why is it so complex in Spain?

By comparison very few people on PAYE earning under £100,000/annum in the UK are required to submit a tax return! Even for those required to submit returns, the system is made easy to do it yourself. Only in the most complicated cases is it necessary to employ an accountant: and if there is a dispute the accountant would be professionally liable!

My guess is that the system in Spain has been designed to keep down the true unemployment figures: the tax rules are deliberately obfuscated to maximise the number of folk needed as so-called tax advisers and tax agency staff!

[make-space]

It can be a huge concern to residents in Spain that at any time they could have a knock on the door and get questioned at least, locked up at worst, for financial matters they don't fully understand and which have been handled by an incompetent paid third party.
It is on my list of reasons that I left Spain!

[Floss]

Lynden.
I wouldn't be too hard on them. Take any 3 local tax accountants, give them the same data and they will all end up with differing results. Odd there's been no recommendations. Doesn't anyone use an accountant they can recommend?

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Wouldnt be too hard on them well when thats until the fines start arriving in your post and as Terrina says you pick the sh%t up after its hit the fan and you pay the fines for their utter incompetence.
You try and sort it out, but you can't believe how unforgiving the Agencia Tributaria are they just say you have signed the return and you must have accepted the figures, so have that a fine also with 3 years interest as well.
I cannot ever understand that we rely on these people as they cannot do the job right box tickers I call them with absolutely no comebacks on them.

Don't forget that if they haven't advised you then you must put all your earnings including your STATE pensions down on your tax return be careful very careful because they are checking back to years gone by and are chasing them up. :38:

[terina]

Lynden  what you say is worrying, if they have made a mistake it is the client who is responsible for the outcome, ie the fine and any interest that has been incurred, why is it so complex?  at the end of the day you are paying the accountant to do a professional job, this I know from our own experience, hence my original question.

[raysun]

Its not odd at all lynden.  From recent experience i will never again recommend any service or company  again and of course wont also ever give a bad review of a business.
its sad but sometimes you cant do right by some people.
adios

[Lynden]

I wouldn't be too hard on them. Take any 3 local tax accountants, give them the same data and they will all end up with differing results. Odd there's been no recommendations. Doesn't anyone use an accountant they can recommend?

[terina]

The one who made the mistakes is located at Huercal Overa

[NorrieM]

Where is the one who let you down located?

[terina]

After finding out that our accountant has made several mistakes on our tax declaration, we are keen to change to someone who we can feel confident that they know what they are doing.  Can anyone recommend someone please who they are really sure that they know what they are doing.  At the end of the day if the accountant makes a mistake we are the ones who are fined and not them