Peter Moore ( above ) , from Stoke-on-Trent , Staffordshire , received a letter from HM Revenue and Customs last week telling him he had died . A father-of-two has been sent a letter from the Government telling him he is dead . Peter Moore was shocked after receiving the document from HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) last week . The letter was addressed to the 'representative ' of Peter William John Moore and apologised for the family 's 'recent bereavement ' . It added that officials needed to sort out whether Mr Moore had paid enough - or too much - tax . The 47-year-old pottery factory worker , from Stoke-on-Trent , Staffordshire , yesterday demanded an apology from the Government . He said : ' I do n't know how that kind of mistake could have been made . ' I used to work away in the week so if that would have happened my wife could have really started to worry . ‘ She opened the letter when I was out of the house . Fortunately I came back home about five minutes after she read it so she knew it was a mistake but that might not have always been the case . ' I rang the tax people and the lady on the other end said she could n't believe it . I was just really shocked , it 's just all a bit strange . ' Mr Moore 's wife Debbie , an accounts assistant , said she was left ‘ gobsmacked ’ until her husband walked through the door . The 43-year-old added : 'It 's really not nice getting a letter from HMRC - especially when what they 're saying has n't really happened . I was gobsmacked . 'When I read it I thought it was a scam or some sort of joke . I showed it to Pete when he came in and he got straight on the phone to the tax office . ' The letter from the Government department read : ' I am sorry to hear about your recent bereavement and recognise that this is a difficult time for you . The letter was addressed to the 'representative ' of Peter William John Moore , pictured outside his home last week , and apologised for the family 's 'recent bereavement ' . It added that officials needed to sort out whether Mr Moore had paid enough - or too much - tax . Dear Sir/Madam , . Estate of MR PETER MOORE . I am sorry to hear of your recent bereavement and recognise that this is a difficult time for you . When someone dies , I need to work out if they paid the right amount of tax before their death . In many cases , HMRC repays tax to the estate . I need to know details of the person responsible for finalising their affairs . This person can be known as the executor , administrator or the personal representative . [ ... ] . The personal representative may want to nominate somebody like a solicitor or an accountant to act on their behalf . If so , they can use the other side of this letter to do this . [ ... ] . Yours faithfully , . Derek Hughes . Deputy Director , Personal Tax . 'When someone dies , I need to work out if they paid the right amount of tax before their death . In many cases , HMRC repays tax to the estate . ' I need to know details of the person responsible for finalising their affairs . ' A spokesman for HMRC said : 'We do n't talk about individual cases but when we make mistakes we aim to put them right fast and apologise . '
Peter Moore received the letter from HM Revenue and Customs last week . He said: "I was told that I would have to pay tax on my income of £40,000 a year if I didn't declare it.