THE OWNER of a Wythall company, who blamed HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for losing his business records when caught stealing more than £160,000 in tax, has been jailed for four years.
Craig McDougall, owner of a heavy goods haulage business, was found to have lied about his turnover and his income for more than two years and claimed HMRC had lost his records but no paperwork was ever received.
Despite the lack of business records, investigators were able to check his bank records against his VAT and Income Tax returns, which showed huge inconsistencies.
Officers found that during 2011 and 2013, when McDougall claimed his turnover was £649,058, it was in reality over £830,000.
The 46-year-old also claimed his income was only £16,995 for those years, but had withdrawn more than £235,000, which he couldn’t account for.
The total amount of the fraud was £161,175.78
Paul Fisher, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “McDougall was naive to think he could get away with this fraud by blaming others to cover up his deceit.
“He was abusing the tax system and depriving public services of vital funding to give himself an unfair advantage over his honest competitors.
“HMRC is levelling the playing field for honest businesses and making sure that crime doesn’t pay.”
Anyone with information about those who may be involved should contact the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.
A confiscation hearing to recover the proceeds of his crime will follow.
Craig McDougall, owner of a heavy goods haulage business, was found to have lied about his turnover and his income for more than two years and claimed HMRC had lost his records but no paperwork was ever received.
Despite the lack of business records, investigators were able to check his bank records against his VAT and Income Tax returns, which showed huge inconsistencies.
Officers found that during 2011 and 2013, when McDougall claimed his turnover was £649,058, it was in reality over £830,000.
The 46-year-old also claimed his income was only £16,995 for those years, but had withdrawn more than £235,000, which he couldn’t account for.
The total amount of the fraud was £161,175.78
Paul Fisher, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “McDougall was naive to think he could get away with this fraud by blaming others to cover up his deceit.
“He was abusing the tax system and depriving public services of vital funding to give himself an unfair advantage over his honest competitors.
“HMRC is levelling the playing field for honest businesses and making sure that crime doesn’t pay.”
Anyone with information about those who may be involved should contact the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.
A confiscation hearing to recover the proceeds of his crime will follow.
