Sweet Cowboy Blues Tax Disaster

Hi, my name's Alex and I'm a trans artist who makes wild west & queer artwork - I screen print my designs at home and send out orders all over the world.

Last tax year my turnover was unexpectedly high. I've been following Shopify's advice that I didn't need to register for VAT because the bulk of my orders were to US customers - this has turned out to be false information which has now resulted in me facing a 34k tax bill and an unknown further bill & fine for backdated VAT.

I even contacted Shopify for clarification and they continue to tell you the wrong information

All of this has made the last few months the most stressful and scary period of my life, and within a couple of months I've gone from always paying my tax on time and never having any debts, to facing a snowballing gigantic debt that I've got no chance of getting on top of.

At this point I've got no idea what the VAT damage is going to be and I just don't know what to do. The thought of going bankrupt and losing everything we've worked so hard for is just heartbreaking.

I know times are hard for everyone right now and I never wanted to have to ask for money like this, but I just don't know what else to do. Thanks so much for reading this and I appreciate all the support and sharing.

I've set the goal to 12k to cover the £9,300 I owe HMRC and then help with the accountants fees which I have to pay still