Butcher convicted of £500k tax dodge
An Essex butcher and his wife have been convicted of a £464,000 tax dodge, according to the Inland Revenue.
David James Smith, 58, of Lawrence Drive, Southminster, was sentenced last week to two years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court after it was heard he had kept false records and failed to operate the Pay As You Earn scheme correctly. His shop, Smiths Butchers, has been trading in Essex for 18 years.
Smith pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing on 1 December 2000 to three charges of common law cheat.
His wife, Ann Smith, 56, of the same address, initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea to guilty on the first day of her trial on 8 June 2001. She was given a 15-month suspended sentence.
The court also imposed confiscation orders saying Smith should repay £232,374 and his wife £219,104.
An Inland Revenue spokesperson told PA News the case was a ‘a warning to anyone who wants to cheat the revenue’.
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