Biggest deliberate tax defaulters in country shown on map – they own over £1bn
More than 4,000 of the UK's biggest 4,000 tax defaulters have faced demands for over £1.5bn from HM Revenue and Customs.
The Government has been naming and shaming 'deliberate tax defaulters' since 2015 and the Mirror has brought together the list for the first time. More than one in five - 21% of those named - are in hospitality, such as takeaways, restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes. Nearly as many - 19% - work in construction or trades like plumbing or plastering.
Mike Lewis, Director of investigative think-tank TaxWatch, said: "£1.5bn is a serious amount of money - that's roughly the cost of an NHS dentist appointment for everyone in Britain. But it could be the tip of an iceberg. Many deliberate defaulter penalties focus on tax due on domestic income. Some of the largest tax evaders, particularly those with income and assets offshore, will have taxable income that HMRC may not even know about."
HMRC has been regularly publishing the names and addresses of those who deliberately default on tax of more than £25,000 since 2015. These are people or firms who received penalties for 'deliberate errors in their tax returns' or 'deliberately failing to comply with their tax obligations'.
But tax defaulters can avoid the list if they 'fully disclose details of the defaults' to the taxman. The naming and shaming happens only 'once these penalties are final'. Some of the biggest defaulters - five out of the top 10 - are recruitment or payroll firms which owed £145m in tax and penalties. We found 112 tax defaulters working in haulage, freight or HGV driving who owed £33.5m.
Two adult entertainment businesses owed £783,000 while four barristers owed £523,000. A number of the biggest tax defaulters are involved in metals - such as scrap or recycling. There are ten in Yorkshire alone which have been named as liable for £60.4m in tax and penalties.
We looked by postcode area and E6 in East London had the highest number with 42 cases totalling £7.8m. Most of those were involved in the building trade. In all, 15 of the 20 postcode areas with the most tax defaulters are from the London area. The highest number of cases in a postcode area outside London is LE5, in Leicester, where there are 18 cases totalling £3.2m. Nearly half appear to be linked to the city's fast fashion industry.
There are 46 companies from China on the list and another eight from Hong Kong. The five biggest defaulters were all online retailers who owed HMRC £34.6m. But there are likely to be more Chinese-linked firms using UK addresses. The next biggest group was 38 cases from Poland, including five hauliers who owed £16.9m to HMRC.
An HMRC spokesperson said: "We use a range of tools to take firm action against the minority who refuse to pay the tax they owe. This includes publishing the names of those penalised for deliberate defaults to influence taxpayer behaviour and encourage defaulters to engage with HMRC."
They added that the list only includes those penalised under civil procedures and does not include criminal convictions for tax fraud. Some of the money owed may have been paid back and HMRC says the list 'does not necessarily represent the full default of the taxpayer'.
The biggest tax defaulter named is a recruitment firm from Derby, Simplify Contracting Services Limited, which went bust two years ago owing £60.6m to the taxman. The liquidator is investigating millions sent to a company run by a struck off solicitor. Second is a payroll firm Work Legal E Ltd, from Edinburgh, which was first exposed by the Mirror and owes £42.2m in tax and penalties.
Third is scrap metal dealer JKL (Wakefield) Ltd from Osset, West Yorkshire, which owed £39m to the taxman, but only £2.1m was recovered by the firm's liquidator. Other firms on the list include a mysterious 'hologram technology ' firm called Silvermask Limited, which was set up by 42-year-old Australian Ronald Ryan in August 2020 and immediately racked up an unpaid £16.6m tax bill in just four months. HMRC imposed extra penalties of £16.1m, bringing the total to £32.7m.
Tenth on the list is property developer Hasan Nawaz Sharif, son of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was named by HMRC in March as owing £9.4m in tax and £5.3m in penalties. The total - £14.6m - is the highest owed by an individual but he disputes the claims.
Mike Lewis added: "These name and shame lists look impressive, but they're missing the professionals that may know about or collude in their clients' tax cheating. HMRC has the power to fine and name tax advisers who deliberately conceal documents, or provide misleading information about their clients' affairs. Yet between 2020 and 2024 we found that HMRC started substantive investigations against fewer than five dishonest tax advisers in each year, and at the moment it doesn't publish the names of any tax advisers fined for dishonesty."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Pensioners born before certain year entitled to £100 payment increase
The payments will be made to all state pensioners who are eligible to claim the Winter Fuel Payment, with most people set to receive their cash in November or December 2025 State pensioners are in line for a £100 boost to their Winter Fuel Allowance, thanks to a Labour Party government initiative that will benefit nine million elderly individuals. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Labour have pledged to distribute £200 payments to state pensioners born before 1959. However, those born before 1945 - therefore aged 80 and above - are set to receive £300, marking a significant £100 increase. Eligible pensioners residing in England and Wales who qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment during the winter season of 2025-26 will be notified via letter in October or November 2025 detailing the amount they will receive. The sum awarded will depend on the individual's birth date and circumstances between 15 and 21 September 2025. Most qualifying recipients can expect payment in November or December 2025. Pensioners in Scotland may be eligible for the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, with disbursements commencing from November 2025. Meanwhile, individuals in Northern Ireland could potentially receive a WFP from the Northern Ireland Executive, reports Birmingham Live. For those WFP recipients whose income exceeds £35,000 in the 2025-26 financial year, HMRC will reclaim the full amount paid. 'Income' is defined according to 'total income' under HMRC regulations, meaning no deductions will be made for Gift Aid or similar contributions. In most instances, the recovery of the 2025-26 Winter Fuel Payment will be automatically processed through PAYE in the 2026-27 tax year. HMRC will adjust the recipient's tax code to collect approximately £17 per month, based on a typical WFP of £200. In the 2027-28 tax year, roughly £33 per month will be deducted for a typical WFP of £200. This is due to HMRC collecting WFPs from both 2026 and 2027 during the 2027-28 period. The monthly deduction will then revert to approximately £17 per month for the 2028-29 tax year. The WFP will not be recovered via PAYE if the recipient submits a Self Assessment tax return. In such cases, HMRC will automatically include the 2025 WFP on the 2025-26 return. However, if an individual files a paper tax return, they will need to manually include the WFP.
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Legendary car brand pulls out of country forever as it shuts massive engine factory in move to rival Tesla
The carmaker is shifting its focus to electric vehicles KICKED TO KERB Legendary car brand pulls out of country forever as it shuts massive engine factory in move to rival Tesla A LEGENDARY car brand has called it quits in one of the world's biggest automotive markets, shutting down a major factory and ending local production for good. The firm has officially pulled out of China after decades of operations, closing its joint engine venture and handing over its factory to a domestic rival as it pivots towards electric vehicles. 2 Mitsubishi's relationship with China stretches back to 1973, when it began shipping mid-sized vehicles to the market Credit: YouTube / Mitsubishi Motors Europe SAME, which began producing engines in 1998, supplied not only Mitsubishi vehicles but also powertrains for a host of Chinese automakers. It will now operate under a new name: Shenyang Guoqing Power Technology Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi said it has: "terminated its engine business operation at Shenyang Aerospace Mitsubishi Motors Engine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, SAME) in China and has terminated the joint venture partnership. "Established in August 1997, SAME began engine production in 1998 and has played a key role in China's expanding automotive market by supplying engines not only to Mitsubishi-branded vehicle manufacturers, but also to numerous Chinese automakers. " However, in response to the rapid transformation of China's automotive industry, Mitsubishi Motors has reassessed its strategy in the region and has decided to terminate its participation in the joint venture." Mitsubishi's relationship with China stretches back to 1973, when it began shipping mid-sized vehicles to the market. At one point in the early 2000s, its engines powered nearly 30 per cent of cars built in the country. But as China's car industry turned sharply toward new energy vehicles (NEVs), demand for traditional engines plummeted. In 2012, Mitsubishi joined forces with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) and Mitsubishi Corporation to launch GAC Mitsubishi. The joint venture saw strong early success, especially with the Outlander SUV, which pushed sales to 144,000 units in 2018. But it didn't last - sales crashed to just 33,600 vehicles by 2022. Nissan 'on brink of collapse' after Renault deal falls through By the following year, Mitsubishi shut down local production and, in 2024, exited the market entirely. GAC has since taken over the plant and turned it into a production base for its EV brand, Aion. Industry analysts say Mitsubishi's retreat is just the latest in a broader trend. Foreign carmakers are losing ground in China as homegrown brands surge ahead in the electric vehicle market. GAC-FCA, a joint venture with Fiat Chrysler, also folded under similar pressures. Mitsubishi says the decision is part of a strategic shift as it focuses on electrification and more competitive global markets. But in China, the brand that once powered nearly a third of the country's cars is now just a memory. The collapse of its Chinese business is a blow for the brand, which had hoped to hold on in the world's biggest car market. But with EV start-ups popping up at lightning speed and government backing for green tech, Mitsubishi simply couldn't keep up. The factory closure also means job losses for hundreds of local workers, with some fearing they'll struggle to find work in an industry moving away from fossil fuels. One former worker said: 'We saw the writing on the wall last year. EVs are the future, and we weren't part of that plan anymore.' It's a bitter end for a brand once considered a key player in Chinese motoring. Now, it's packing up — leaving behind empty factories, lost jobs and a name that once meant something on Chinese roads. The Sun has approached Mitsubishi for comment. Iconic car brand 'on brink of collapse' as 'bosses warn company has just 12 months to survive' ONE of the world's largest car manufacturers reportedly could go under within 12 months if it doesn't receive support. The firm is looking to sure up its future by growing a partnership with its former rival after the reported collapse of a three-way alliance. Nissan was one-third of a strategic deal with Mitsubishi and Renault to share financial backing and expand all their markets in Europe, Japan and the US. The agreement dates back to 1999 but now could be on the brink of collapse. A report from the Financial Times cites two anonymous "senior officials" at the firm suggesting that Renault is looking to reduce its financial stake in the Japanese carmaker. The withdrawal of funding means, according to the same sources, that Nissan could require support from the Japanese or US governments within the next year just in order to stay afloat. One of the officials said: "We have 12 or 14 months to survive. "This is going to be tough. "And in the end, we need Japan and the US to be generating cash." Nissan has already cut 9,000 jobs across its global operation, while its CEO Makoto Uchida took a 50% pay cut in an economy drive. The business is working through an emergency recovery plan, which will see it cut output by 20% and slash around £2bn in costs. Its struggles have partly been blamed on the lack of a strong hybrid lineup, which has helped rivals like Toyota and Honda through the global collapse in EV sales. In a press conference earlier this month, Mr Uchida said: "This has been a lesson learned and we have not been able to keep up with the times. "We weren't able to foresee that hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids would be so popular."
Times
9 hours ago
- Times
Surge in families caught out by inheritance tax
The number of bereaved families forced to pay inheritance tax has surged 13 per cent. New data from HM Revenue and Customs shows that 31,500 estates paid inheritance tax (IHT) in the 2022-23 tax year, 3,700 more than the year before. The total amount raised for the Treasury hit £6.7 billion, up 12 per cent on the 2021-22 tax year. HMRC said this increase was probably down to rising asset prices and the freeze on IHT thresholds. And even more families are set to be caught in the IHT net from April 2027, when pensions are to become subject to IHT. The Office for Budget Responsibility expects the change to result in the proportion of estates paying IHT to double to 10 per cent by 2030. Changes to how farms and family businesses pay IHT will also push up the tax take for the Treasury, which is expected to collect more than £14 billion a year in IHT by the end of the decade. Charlene Young from the investment platform AJ Bell said: 'The government is collecting more in death taxes than ever before. HMRC proudly states that fewer than half of deaths require interaction with the taxman to establish if there is tax to pay — something that will soar when the IHT raid on family businesses, farms and pensions comes into force.' The first £325,000 of your estate is IHT-free, with anything above taxed at a rate of 40 per cent. Thanks to the residence nil-rate band, this threshold rises to £500,000 if you leave your main home to a direct descendant and your estate is worth less than £2 million. Anything left to a spouse or civil partner, including pensions from 2027, is exempt from inheritance tax. Couples can combine their allowances, meaning together they can pass on up to £1 million tax-free, as long as the estate is worth less than £2 million. The main threshold has been frozen since 2009 and the residence nil-rate band has been frozen since 2021.
