Food firm which owed taxman £29m leads list of shame
A little-heard of food company, heaquartered in central Manchester, has been named and shamed as the country’s worse tax offender, having been wound up owing HMRC more than £29m.
Saad Victoria Food & Wine, registered at Chancery Place on Brown Street in the city centre, has now been wound up over the unpaid debt.
The company, which went into liquidation in May, was a wine merchant and retailer. Established in May 2011 it never filed any accounts. Company record show its sole shareholder was 43-year-old Ayub Mohammed, who resigned as a director in 2012, and whose other business interests are located in the South East.
Other North West businesses and individuals named by the authorities include: Century Motoring Solutions, previously of Link 25 Business Park, Ashton-in-Makerfield, which owed more than £47,000; off licence and takeaway business owner Munawar Hussein, of Hadfield, Glossop and Moss Side, who owed more than £30,000; and Mustang Developments of Colne, which owed nearly £80,000.
Kennie Granger, HMRC’s director general for enforcement and compliance, said: “Publishing taxpayers’ names is not something we do lightly. We are publishing the names of tax cheats as it lets the community know we are tackling this and encourage others to get back on track.
“Each person named has cheated the Exchequer out of more than £25,000, and that’s unfair to those who pay their tax. In the last year, penalties have ranged from £10,000 to over £29m.
“We urge people to come forward, so we can help them get back on track. It is always easier if people make a full and prompt disclosure and co-operate with HMRC. If they do this, they will avoid being named.”
