Plumbing firm boss in court over tax fraud

APLUMBING firm boss who evaded tens of thousands of pounds in tax whilst buying luxury cars and sending his kids to private school has been handed a suspended jail term.

Shazad Hassan, 40, who ran Superb Gas and Plumbing Services, lied about his income and failed to pay more than £ 65,000 owed for the 10 years the company was trading, a court was told.

An HMRC investigation found his firm had paid no VAT and that the dad, from Stockport, had paid just £ 750 in Income Tax between 2004 and 2014 when it was operating.

Meanwhile, he had spent £ 45,000 on advertising his business as well as buying several high-value vehicles, including an Audi RS6 costing more than £83,000, a BMW 116d SE for £19,484 and a VW Transporter Van for £ 23,000. He also spent £ 61,000 on private school fees for his children.

Hassan, of Wilmslow Road, Heald Green, admitted three counts of fraud, including the fraudulent evasion of income tax, VAT and national insurance contributions.

Last Monday he was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, plus 300 hours of unpaid work and a three- month curfew.

He was also ordered to repay £65,000 to HMRC within three months or serve a compulsory default jail sentence of 18 months for late or non payment.

Speaking after the case, Sandra Smith, assistant director for HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Hassan lived a very comfortable lifestyle while pocketing taxes he owed. He lied about his income deliberately in an attempt to evade paying VAT and other taxes.

“It is foolhardy to attempt to hide trading and spending on this scale from HMRC and it is unfair in the current commercial climate.

“Evading tax isn’t a victimless crime. It takes money out of the public services that everyone in the UK relies on.

“If you suspect fraud similar to this report it to the HMRC 24-hour Hotline on 0800 788 887 or online via Gov.uk – search for ‘HMRC reporting fraud’.”