Vehicle repair boss jailed after £300,000 VAT fraud
THE boss of a vehicle repair business has been handed a prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraudulent evasion of VAT, which amounted to more than £300,000.
Ian John Coleman, 53, of Knowler Way, Liversedge reportedly stole the VAT he had charged to customers of his vehicle repair business, Top Gear Transmissions Ltd between 2003 and 2014 instead of passing it to HMRC.
Coleman attempted to justify his actions to HMRC saying he was “no accountant”. He continued to deny any wrongdoing even after HMRC uncovered anomalies in his paperwork, and found, during a search of his lock-up in Cleckheaton, the true paperwork of the business dating back to 2003.
It was also found that Coleman had avoided paying more than £15,000 in VAT by under-declaring scrap metal sales.
He pleaded guilty to 12 counts of VAT evasion at Leeds Crown Court on 1 July 2016 and was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment.
Martin McDonnell, HMRC spokesperson, said: “Coleman thought that he’d found a way to exploit the tax system. He was wrong, and now he’s now paying the price with a jail sentence. This is money that should have been funding vital public services, and Coleman created an uneven playing field for his honest competitors.
“Most people pay the tax they owe, when they owe it, but a small minority think they are above the law. Tax fraud is a serious crime and I ask anyone with information about those who may be involved to contact our 24 hour hotline on 0800 59 5000.”
Confiscation action to recover the proceeds of Coleman’s crime is underway.
