North West businesses named for not paying tax bills

A food and wine wholesaler from Manchester has been fined more than £800,000 after failing to pay a £1.14m tax bill.

S&B Expo Ltd, from Stockport Road, is cited on His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) list of "deliberate tax defaulters" who had purposely not paid tax bills over £25,000.

It is one of 20 businesses in the North West on the list that included builders, accountants and cleaners from Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire.

In every case, those named failed to make a full disclosure when HMRC began its investigation – a step that would have kept their details off the list, the tax authority said.

About 140 individuals and businesses across the country were penalised for deliberately defaulting on tax.

In the North West, they included builders Cornbrook Developments, from Liverpool, which failed to pay a tax bill over £800,000 and was fined nearly £400,000.

Insolvency practitioners 07752078 Limited, formerly Lucas Johnson Limited, from Knutsford, owed £490,735 from 2011 to 2019 and were fined £285,854.

JJM Services and Exports Ltd, from Prescot, owed £440,627 from 2020 to 2022 and was fined£308,438.

Manchester's McFarlane New Builds owed £410,582 and was fined £280,222.

In Lancashire, accountant Brandon Preston from Leyland owed £177,636 and was fined £119,904, while Blackburn plasterer Kevin Rawes was fined £110,733 for not paying £164,049 in tax.

Others on the list include:

• Lionia Trans Ltd, which operated freight transport from Liverpool - owed £83,944 and was fined £58,760
• Gavin Peake, trading as Uncle Paulie's Pizza in Walton - owed £71,117 and made to pay a penalty of £41,781
• Builder Daniel Dakin from Stockport - owed tax from 2014 to 2020 at £60,766 and was fined £21,762
• Evobuildnw Ltd, from Liverpool, fined £57,605 for not paying £59,083 in tax
• Berchi Builders, from Accrington, which owed £51,252 in tax and was fined £33,185
• Amir Moore Jewellery shop in Manchester, which owed £42,159

Kevin Hubbard, HMRC's director of individuals and small business compliance, said: "We are actively tackling tax non-compliance among high street businesses across the UK, and today's namings show we will act wherever we find it.

"Everyone on this list had the opportunity to come forward to make a full disclosure – and didn't.

"HMRC will always pursue those who deliberately refuse to pay what they owe."

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