By Lucy Caulkett-
An accountant in West London has been fined £25,000 by HM Revenue And Customs.
West London accountant,Anil Shah, was prosecuted by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for failing to comply with a tax fraud investigation.
The accountant from Stanmore refused to help HMRC officers investigating suspected tax fraud by his clients, despite legally binding documents served on him.<
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Shar received disclosure Notices requiring him to share paperwork and information with HMRC as part of a criminal investigation to the tax fraud, but defiantly ignored them.
Sha further denied to investigators that he acted for the clients, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
GUILTY OF TAX FRAUD
Having pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a Disclosure Notice by making a false or misleading statement in July this year, Shar was fined at the Old Bailey and warned he had 28 days to pay the fine or face 18 months in prison.Simon York, from HMRC’s fraud investigation services told the eye of media.com: “As a professional accountant, Shah knew his duty was to offer sound advice to his clients and comply with HMRC regulations.
“Instead he breached his duty by breaking the law and abusing his privileged position
ACCOUNTANT SENTENCED
During sentencing, Shah was told by His Honour Judge Topolski QC: “You said you only dealt with pay- roll and bluntly you lied in response to this disclosure notice.
Kristin Jones, head of the specialist fraud division at the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Anil Shah was an accountant who abused his position as a professional adviser and hid his clients’ criminal actions from the public eye.
“This case demonstrates the repercussions of a refusal to cooperate with the authorities.”
JAILED FOR VAT FRAUD
Two of Shah’s clients were jailed for seven years in 2015 for a £1.2 million VAT fraud. Shah had an obligation to be fully transparent and co-operate with the authorities, and in failing to do so, fell foul of the law. Some bosses of organisations tend to protect their partners or clients who are evading tax because of something they themselves are hiding.
Tax evasion is nothing new, though law abiding citizens are expected to dutifully pay their taxes, and not shield any clients of theirs, or members of their organisation from the punishing hands of the law whenever caught evading tax.
Shaw was fortunate to escape jail himself only because no evidence of him evading tax himself was found. However, when clients of a business owner avoids tax, it could be because the business owner himself is operating in some form of under-handed way themselves, but no clear evidence of this was found in Shah.
With this fine goes his reputation as an honourable professional, and he will ahve to live with the shame and overall consequences of his actions.