A man has been jailed for 12 months for evading £91,000 of income tax and national insurance during ten years of trading as a self-employed plumber
David Williams, 53, was sentenced on 27 March at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Mr Williams, of Rowley Regis, Sandwell, admitted charges of evasion of income tax, contrary to the Taxes Management Act 1970. He had been arrested in September last year after an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigation found thousands of pounds in cash at his home.
HMRC targeted plumbers in a special campaign in 2011. Nine more plumbers have been arrested and investigations are ongoing.
Other such disclosure campaigns have focused on offshore investments, medical professionals, private tutors and coaches, companies not paying VAT, electricians and online marketplace traders.
More than £500 million has been raised from these campaigns and more than £110 million from follow-up activity by HMRC.
Adrian Farley, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “We will not hesitate to investigate those we suspect of evading tax. I would ask anyone with information about people who may be involved in tax evasion to contact the Tax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
Anyone wishing to make a voluntary disclosure of unpaid tax under one of the HMRC’s current campaigns can do so via http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/campaigns/notify.htm
