Restaurant owner jailed for cooking the books
A Tameside restaurant owner who lied about his sales to evade paying tax has been jailed.
Sahit Ferati, 51, did not declare sales at his Feratti’s Italian restaurant in Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, to evade £63,000 in income tax and VAT, a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation found.
Ferati, of Brook Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, concealed a significant number of sales at his restaurant over the course of more than five years.
He was caught after HMRC investigators bought a meal in January 2016, but later checks found he had not put the sale through the till.
Tim Atkins, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Ferati fiddled his books to pocket enough public money to pay the salaries of two qualified nurses for a year. This sentence should give him food for thought.
“HMRC is determined to create a level playing field for honest, legitimate businesses by tackling tax fraud.
“I would urge anyone with information on tax fraud to report it to HMRC online or contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
HMRC investigators found that between 2011 and 2017, Ferati did not pay £9,000 in income tax self-assessment and £54,000 in VAT.
Ferati was sentenced to 18 months at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, January 17, 2020, after he was convicted of tax evasion.
Ferati must serve nine months in jail, followed by nine months on licence.
