Liverpool pizza boss jailed for VAT fraud

A Liverpool takeaway boss who failed to declare his true income to evade a £103,551 tax bill has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Bahram Mansouriboroujeni, 60, of Phythian Close, Kensington, Liverpool, is the director of Deep Pan Express on Scargreen Avenue, Norris Green. He did not register for VAT and failed to declare his true earnings in his Self Assessment tax returns. An HMRC investigation found that in total, he evaded paying £103,551 in VAT and income tax between February 2016 and October 2019.

Mansouriboroujeni pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to declare the true extent of the monetary turnover of his takeaway business on 29 June this year at Liverpool Crown Court. He was sentenced to 30 months in jail at the same court on 26 August.

An HMRC spokesperson said: "No crime is victimless. Tax crime robs our vital public services of much-needed funds. "The majority of individuals and businesses pay the tax that is due – however there remains a determined minority who refuse to play by the rules. We encourage anyone with information about tax fraud to report it online or call the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887."

Image: Claudio Divizia / Shutterstock