A quick Google search revealed the following on the official HMRC Website :-
A convicted fraudster from Berkshire who was jailed for evading VAT of £1.3m in 2009 has been ordered to payback almost £69,000 by 6 June 2011, or face a further 21 months in jail.
Philip Bowles, 62, a former company director of Maidenhead, Berkshire, was ordered to repay the money at a confiscation hearing held at Oxford Crown Court on Monday 9 May 2011.
Robert Alder, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said:
“We are determined to bring to justice criminals behind this type of fraud and take away the proceeds of their crime. We would like anyone with information regarding tax evasion to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 500 or email
[email protected] (
[email protected]).”
Bowles was originally sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment at Oxford Crown Court on 7 December 2009, after being found guilty of one count of ‘Cheating the Revenue’ by failing to account for and pay VAT due on the sale of land worth £7.5m for commercial development in Cardiff. He failed to submit VAT returns to HM Customs and Excise (HMCE) and then HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) between October 2001 and July 2006.
Bowles appealed against his conviction, but his appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 25 June 2010.
Notes for editors
1. Philip Joseph Bowles (DOB 25/02/1949) who lived at Ashton Place, Sandsplatt Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire prior to his conviction, was ordered to pay £68,924.28 by 6 June 2011, at a confiscation hearing at Oxford Crown Court on 9 May 2011, or face a further 21 months in jail.
2. The two companies that were in Bowles’ control were Sea Island Holdings Ltd and Ocean Developments Ltd and were based at Sipson Road, West Drayton, Middlesex.
3. Philip Bowles was the director of a group of companies which engaged broadly in two areas of business.
4. Prior to 2003, his principal trade consisted of an air freight business, Airfreight Express Ltd (which was part of the Ocean group of companies), and a landowning company, Ocean Developments Ltd, all based in Sipson Road, West Drayton, Middlesex. Administrative receivers were appointed for Ocean Developments Ltd on 4 June 2003. Ocean formally ceased to trade on 31 December 2003. By this time it had amassed VAT debts of £1.6m due to the non-submission of VAT returns.
5. In August 2003, Bowles applied for a new VAT registration for Sea Island Holdings Ltd which was backdated to 4 June 2003. In 2006 this company was wound-up by HM Revenue & Customs after it had failed to render all its VAT returns and had amassed further VAT debts again in excess of £1.6m.
6. VAT registration means you must charge VAT on the selling price of goods and services that are liable to VAT. This VAT is known as ‘Output tax’ and must be paid to HMRC. If you are registered for VAT you are able to reclaim back the VAT you pay on your business purchases. This is known as ‘Input tax’. You claim this back on your VAT return.
7. To view the photograph associated with this release, please use the link below:
News : NDS (http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=419425&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=257)
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Here's the link to the page :- News : NDS (http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/Content/Detail.aspx?ClientId=257&NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=419425&SubjectId=36)