In this month’s scandals, convictions and penalties, ex HMRC accountant, and author of a guide to beating the tax authorities, found guilty of tax fraud, world cup winning cricketer shamed on HMRC’s list of tax defaulters and trainee accountant defrauded his employer of £58,000, which he spent in six months on a car and alcohol
An accountant who was a former HMRC employee, and who wrote a guide to beating the tax authorities, has been found guilty of a £120,000 tax fraud.
Martyn Arthur, based in Porthcawl, originally joined the Inland Revenue (now HMRC) in 1968. After leaving in 2005 to work in private practice, he wrote the book Taxpayer Strikes Back about how to challenge HMRC.
In the book, which was published in 2009, Arthur claimed to know the system ‘inside out’ and provided tips on how to ‘stand up’ to HMRC.
However, in 2013 HMRC began an investigation into Arthur’s business affairs which resulted in a prosecution for cheating the public revenue.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Arthur submitted inaccurate tax returns over the period 2008 – 2013 in order to avoid paying the tax that was due. He covered this up by deliberately keeping incomplete records, using multiple accounts and moving money between them.
