The director of a building firm in Wales has been disqualified for under-declaring sales on VAT returns.
Judie Thomas, a company director from Carmarthen, has been given a disqualification for seven years as a result of investigations undertaken by The Insolvency Service, which demonstrated that Thomas had caused or allowed A&J Thomas Holdings to under-declare sales on VAT returns.
As a result of the under-declarations a debt became due to HMRC, which is owed £95,322.
Thomas was the sole director of the building company which went into liquidation on 20 April 2015.
In January 2014 HMRC undertook investigations into the company’s VAT returns and determined that sales figures had been under-declared in at least six VAT periods from December 2011 to December 2013. The HMRC investigation also determined that Thomas failed to ensure that all VAT returns were submitted on time with the earliest unpaid return being for the period 09/09.
The company went into liquidation on 20 April 2015 owing £129,322 to creditors, of which £95,322 was the sum due to HMRC for under-declared sales on VAT returns and assorted miscellaneous sums due for corporation tax, PAYE and interest and penalties.
Stephen Baxter, the official receiver who oversaw the investigations, said: “This disqualification demonstrates that directors who fail in their obligations and cause creditors to lose money can expect to be investigated by The Insolvency Service and enforcement action taken to remove them from the market place.”
In August, the female head of a construction firm in Edinburgh was jailed following a £225,000 VAT scam.
