A father and daughter who ran a Somerset dairy farm have been jailed for a total of nine and a half years for illegally claiming £1.9m by making fraudulent VAT returns, following an HMRC investigation
Jack Parfitt ran the farm in Masbury, Wells for over 40 years, and in April 2001, his daughter Sally Ann Parfitt, joined the family business. In October 2005, she bought a property in Horsley, Eccleshall, Stafford and when they no longer owned the farm in Masbury the family moved to Horsley.
They submitted fraudulent VAT repayment claims to HMRC relating to the farming business from November 2007 to October 2013, using the money to fund their business and for general living expenses, including mortgage repayments.
Both were found guilty of tax fraud after a trial at Bristol Crown Court. Parfitt was given a five year prison sentence and his daughter a four-and-a-half-year term, and were sentenced to a total of nine and a half years. A third person was acquitted.
Colin Spinks, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: ‘Rather than accept that their farming business was failing, the Parfitts decided to steal from the taxpayer to keep it afloat, denying vital public services of almost £2m. They are now paying the price.’
