Waste management firm claims millions of pounds from HMRC
A specialist waste management business which has been locked in a dispute with HMRC over tax payments is now formally claiming an £11.1m repayment.
Wetherby-based Augean has previously made payments against landfill tax assessments for its companies Augean North and Augean South for a total of £40.4m (£37.7m excluding interest).
But all the tax payment assessments have been appealed by Augean, which has argued for months that the bill it has received is incorrect.
In a statement today, the firm says it has now lodged a claim with HMRC for repayment of £11.1m of landfill tax (LFT).
This includes interest Augean says has been overpaid in relation to engineering materials used as part of its landfills cell construction – colloquially referred to as the “Fluff layer”.
The statement explains: “This protects the Augean position in the light of legal challenges brought by other waste site operators that have successfully argued before the Upper Tax Tribunal that they can reclaim LFT accounted for on the ‘Fluff layer’.
“HMRC has challenged the Upper Tribunal decision and it is expected the matter will be heard in the Court of Appeal at a yet to be determined date.
“The outcome of that appeal will have a direct bearing on the claim filed by Augean.
“The claim is in part a reclaim of Landfill Tax overpaid and in part a set off against the £40.4m Landfill Tax assessment paid (and subject to challenge by Augean in the First Tier Tribunal) in December 2019.
“Augean has decided to reclaim the relevant LFT at this point given the success of other operators in the Upper Tax Tribunal.”
Jim Meredith, executive chairman of Augean, said: “The Group has watched with interest the waste industry’s progress in its legal claims against HMRC.
“It seemed appropriate for the Group to follow the rest of the industry in making claims, particularly having paid the assessments in full in December 2019, and the Group hopes to see a repayment of tax following the Court of Appeal decision.”
