Gaines-Cooper loses in Court of Appeal

Robert Gaines-Cooper has lost the latest leg of his legal battle to escape millions of pounds in UK taxes.

Gaines-Cooper has been maintaining that he is not resident in the UK, but lost another round of the legal proceedings with HM Revenue & Customs yesterday in the court of Appeal.

Lord Justice Rimer, sitting with Lord Justice Wilson in the Court of Appeal in London, dismissed his appeal as 'nothing more than an illegitimate attempt to re-argue the facts,' The Times reported.

Gaines-Cooper has made millions through companies based in the Seychelles and elsewhere, but retained strong links with the UK. When the case initially emerged, tax advisers said it set a new precedent on the rule of thumb about spending fewer than 90 days in the UK to avoid becoming resident.

HMRC counted days of arrival and departure, but the case was always about more than just time in the country.

Gaines-Cooper now faces a huge tax demand for the years 1993 to 2004, The Times said.

Further Reading:

Read The Times' story

Read original Accountancy Age report: Seychelles entrepreneur's heart 'remained in England'

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