Former ATT President, Andrew Meeson, jailed for tax fraud

I have previously not reported on negative news about tax professionals within Tax Grotto. However I have decided to change tack. A movers and shakers column perhaps should also include high profile tax professionals who give the industry a bad name.

Today I received a press release from HMRC, one of their frequent ‘name and shame’ articles.
Former president of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) and a fellow company director have been jailed for eight and half years each for a £5 million pension scheme tax fraud.

Andrew Meeson and associate Peter Bradley were both found guilty of the conspiracy which centred on two pension schemes administered by their company, Tudor Capital Management Limited.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators found that between June 2007 and March 2010 they received income tax repayments amounting to £5 million. The two claimed that this was the refund due on £20 million of contributions, pension scheme members had made. The investigators found these contributions did not exist.

Simon De Kayne, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:

“This was blatant theft from the UK economy by people who exploited their positions of trust and authority. This prosecution reinforces our effectiveness in the crackdown to uncover and bring before the courts those involved in tax evasion and fraud.”

They were arrested in 2010 in dawn raids carried out by HMRC officers investigating the multi-million pound fraud. The raids took place at residential and business premises in the West Midlands and Derby.