Revenue & Tax Fraud

There are several categories of tax fraud, or ‘revenue offences’ including:

 

Fraudulent evasion of VAT
This may be where goods subject to VAT are disguised as items that are not subject to VAT, such as children’s clothing.

Fraudulent evasion of duty
Commonly known as ‘smuggling’, where goods are imported from outside of the EU and not declared for the purposes of tax, for example, bringing in tobacco or alcohol above the duty free limit and passing through ‘nothing to declare’ at customs.

Fraudulent evasion of income tax
This may be where someone does not declare income they have earned, perhaps by being paid ‘cash in hand’, or employers failing to deduct tax from their employees.

Cheating the public revenue
An example of this is ‘missing trader fraud’ and is a crime involving the importation of goods from Europe at 0% VAT and selling them onto UK traders with VAT added. The original seller disappears without paying the VAT to the Inland Revenue.

Even if you are not involved as much as others or are considered to be ‘taking steps’ towards any of these types of offences you can be a great deal of trouble and you will need solicitors and lawyers of the highest calibre. Walker Lahive is highly experienced and able to defend you in in all manner of fraud cases.