Car park boss must repay HMRC almost £300,000 or face another three years behind bars
17 September 2019
A court has ordered that an airport car park boss must repay HMRC almost £300,000 or face another three years behind bars.
Brian Pearson, from Wilmslow in Cheshire, was jailed for three years and two months in October 2017 after an HMRC investigation revealed he had failed to pay over more than £466,000 of his employees’ income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) between April 2008 and November 2015.
Pearson ran MIA Secure Parking Ltd, a ‘meet and greet’ parking service based in Sharston, Wythenshawe, which later became UK Premier Parking Ltd. Both companies looked after cars for passengers flying mainly from Manchester Airport.
In March 2015 HMRC investigators raided Pearson’s home and business addresses seizing records, computers, payroll books, employee and financial documentation. The seized payroll books were blank, but employee records and salary statements proved that Pearson was deducting income tax and NICs from up to 60 of his employees, none of which was paid over to HMRC. The £466,029 fraud was comprised of income tax totalling £258,909 and NICs of £207,120, arising from non-payment of PAYE employee contributions. Pearson was subsequently charged with tax evasion.
At a confiscation hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, Pearson was ordered to repay £297,993 within three months, or spend another three years in prison and still owe the money. He now faces losing assets including a villa in Portugal, a personal pension and ISA savings.
Diccon Wood, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said:
“Pearson lived the good life while stealing from his own workers as well as the public. His actions put him in jail for a considerable time.”
Anyone who thinks they know someone who is committing tax fraud can report them by calling the HMRC Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.