Self-employed workers reminded about registering with HMRC

Contractors are being warned about the need to register to pay income tax after a plumbing contractor has been jailed for 12 months for tax evasion.The 49-year-old from Epson set up a company and traded as a self-employed plumber but he did not register with HMRC to pay income tax. An investigation concluded that he had avoided paying up to £50,000 in income tax over a five-year period. The case was a result of a HMRC campaign targeting plumbers, gas fitters and heating engineers. Chris Martin, HMRC Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation, said, “[This man] stole from UK taxpayers by failing to pay tax due on his earnings and now he must face the consequences of his actions in jail. HMRC is clamping down on plumbers and those in other trades who attempt to commit tax evasion, and the sentence given to [him] will act as a deterrent.”Mike Wells, HMRC Director of Risk and Intelligence Services, added, “We want people targeted by any HMRC campaign to come forward and use the opportunity to put the record straight and pay any tax due on the best possible terms. It really is better for people who owe tax to come to HMRC, before we come and find you.”

http://www.50percenttax.co.uk/index/2012/8/9/self-employed-workers-reminded-about-registering-with-hmrc.html