ROBERT SYMS: £300 claim for tax advice 'fair' (From Thisisdorset)

ROBERT SYMS: £300 claim for tax advice 'fair'

8:31am Friday 19th June 2009 in

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POOLE MP Robert Syms has defended charging the taxpayer more than £300 for tax advice.

It has come to light that the Conservative claimed £286 plus VAT – a total of £336 – in January 2007 for a firm to calculate his tax liability.

But he told the Daily Echo yesterday: “The tax affairs of MPs are different in, apart from the self-assessment form, you have got five pages to fill out.

“Things like depreciation of computer equipment has to be done and most of us are paranoid about paying too little tax.

“I think it’s a fair expense as it’s not simply filling out the self- assessment form, it’s filling out all the extra. If it wasn’t allowable they would not have paid it.”

Over the past four years records show Mr Syms’ second home expenses to be reasonably consistent. In 2005/06 and 2006/07, he claimed for around £1,000 rent per month, as well as roughly £100 council tax, £42.50 for a Sky TV subscription, plus utilities every few months.

The costs rose slightly in 2007/08, notably rent to £1,600 after the MP moved home.

He also charged £250 a month for food, which he defended, saying it was fair given the hours that MPs work and it was below the maximum £400 claimable each month.

Last month, Mr Syms became embroiled in the expenses debate when the Daily Telegraph highlighted him for claiming more than £2,000 worth of furniture for his designated second home in West Kensington and then having it delivered to his parents’ address in Wiltshire.

Receipts made public yesterday showed £1,379 paid to Beds Direct and £677 to DFS.

Yesterday he said: “I think it was relatively cheap. DFS is not an expensive place. It is not stuff that one buys every day.”