The head of an Edinburgh construction company has been jailed for two years following £275,000 of VAT fraud.
Avril Jane Elliott pleaded guilty to submitting a string of fraudulent VAT returns between 2008 and 2013, when she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 7 July.
According to the HMRC, these fraudulent returns wildly overstated her business expenses, resulting in her receiving £275,000 she wasn’t entitled to. Elliott used this money to fund a comfortable lifestyle and to pay off company loans.
Cheryl Burr, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Elliott’s actions cheated the exchequer out of significant sums of money, which funded a lifestyle well beyond her legitimate income. She thought she’d found a way to exploit the tax system, putting her own greed above funding vital public services.
“Most people pay the tax they owe, when they owe it, but a small minority think they are above the law. No matter how well resourced someone is, nobody is beyond our reach.”
Elliott’s scheme only unraveled after an inspection of her company finances. Steps are now being taken to recover monies lost.
