Plumber handed prison sentence over avoiding Income Tax

A self-employed plumber has been handed a suspended jail sentence for failing to pay the correct Income Tax or VAT.

Shazad Hassan, from Stockport, was found guilty of three counts of fraud including the evasion of Income Tax, VAT, and National Insurance.

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No Income Tax, no VAT

The 40-year-old plumber had lied about his income throughout the entirety of Superb Gas and Plumbing’s history.

According to the Manchester Evening News, it was found that he’d failed to pay over £65,000 in Income Tax over the ten-year period, paying instead just £750.

Splashing the cash

All the while, he was spending big on personal items and marketing his plumbing business.

In addition to £45,000 worth of advertising for his business, he also bought an Audi RS6, a BMW 116d SE, and a VW Transporter Van - totalling well over £120,000.

Two years in prison

Hassan was handed two years in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to repay the £65,000 he owed to HMRC within three months.

If he fails to cough up the money in time, he’ll serve a compulsory default jail sentence of 18 months.

He’ll also be forced to undertake 300 hours of unpaid work, and was given a three month curfew.

Are self-employed taxes clear enough?

With a number of self-employed tax changes in 2019, many still find the tax return system unclear.

What do you think? Is the Self Assessment system clear enough? Let us know how you feel and vote below.