Filed under: Tax
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published a new list of deliberate tax defaulters.The first list came out back in February and featured nine offenders. This time round 15 more evaders have been named and shamed by the taxman.
What is a deliberate tax defaulter?
According to HMRC a deliberate tax defaulter is a person that has received a penalty for either:
- deliberate errors on their tax return;
- deliberately failing to comply with their tax obligations.
The offenders
The latest list of offenders is a mixed bag.
It features a recruitment company, a tandoori restaurant and takeaway in Blackpool, construction businesses, transport companies, pubs in Troon and Manchester, oil firms and painters.
The biggest single fine on the latest list was served to a labourer provider based in Birmingham. It was ordered to pay £1,115,481.36, based on a sum of £1,991,931 that was deliberately misrepresented to the taxman between 2010 and 2012.
Elsewhere there were repeat offenders.
One owner of a kebab shop in Peterborough committed two counts of tax defaulting. The first incident between 2010 and 2011 landed him with a penalty of £10,304.23 and the second, which happened straight after between 2011 and 2012, cost him £11,032.06. The fine dished out represented over half of the £42,041 the owner deliberately tried to avoid tax on.
Why can HMRC name and shame?
HMRC was given the power to name and shame tax defaulters in the Finance Act 2009 in order to help combat tax evasion and non-compliance.
People and companies can be exposed in this way as long as:
- HMRC has conducted an investigation and the person has been charged for one or more penalties for deliberate defaults; and
- the penalties involved amount to £25,000 or more.
Information won't be published, providing the person earns the maximum reduction in penalties by being completely honest about defaults from the outset.
Names can remain published for a maximum of 12 months and only once all appeal routes have been exhausted.
An updated list will be published every quarter.
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