HMRC repays waste management firm

Leading specialist waste management business, Augean has been notified that HMRC will be repaying £1.6m of landfill tax to the group.

The figure which relates to ta single biomass customer is part of £40.4m of disputed landfill tax assessments which the Group paid in full in December.

The Wetherby-based business is seeking interest and costs from HMRC in addition to the repayment which it states has “taken more than three years to reach the right outcome”. The repayment will be treated as an exceptional profit in its results for the year ending 31 December 2020.

The business is now awaiting a decision on another element of its disputed assessments which is worth in the region of £16m following the First Tier Tax Tribunal which was head in September.

Jim Meredith, Executive Chairman of Augean, said: “The Group is pleased to have received notification of HMRC’s repayment. Nonetheless it is disappointing that the process with regard to this small element of the overall claim has taken more than three years to reach the right outcome. Based on legal advice received, we continue to maintain our position that we have correctly collected and paid the appropriate landfill tax throughout, and we will continue to robustly challenge the disputed remaining assessments that have been paid in full through the tax tribunal system.”

The battle between Augean and HMRC has been ongoing for over a year, arguing that the landfill tax bill is incorrect.