Case Studies

Out of the blue…

Opposing a £30,000 VAT demand ...

Our client is the sole proprietor of a well-established Chinese Restaurant.

Following what he believed to be a routine VAT Office visit to check his returns and records, he was presented with a demand for over £30,000 additional VAT with interest and penalties on top.

What the VAT man hadn't told him was that his premises had been under extensive surveillance for the past few months; that numerous VAT Office staff, posing as customers, had eaten in his restaurant on several occasions and that they believed he had been deliberately understating his sales.

Faced with what he believed to be an insurmountable problem and staring at financial ruin, he sought our advice.

Using our investigation team we took over the handling of the case. Extensive retesting of the records coupled with lengthy further meetings and negotiations with the VAT Office led to a total climb down on their part. We were able to demonstrate that no sales had been diverted and that all allegations were totally without merit.

Results: No additional VAT found to be due, and one happy businessman left to pursue what he does best.