HMRC's list of tax evaders includes eight new names from Wales. They range from restaurants to a used car dealer.
A person or business appears on the list if they have made at least one deliberate default on more than £25,000 in tax. The list is updated every three months and a defaulter's details are removed after a year.
The UK Government department says publishing the names is "about influencing behaviour by encouraging defaulters to engage with HMRC". Before updating the list, HMRC gives each defaulter an opportunity to present reasons why their details should not be published.
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Here are the Wales-based names new to the list, which was last updated in March. All have been approached for comment.
Hassan Mahdi Salih
Hassan Mahdi Salih from Cardiff evaded £30,858 in tax between April 2011 and April 2016 — resulting in a penalty of £12,960. The 53-year-old, of Longhouse Close in Lisvane, failed to pay tax on property income.
Companies House says Mr Salih was director of a care home business called Tremlecare, a company which dissolved in 2016.
Huang Lin
Huang Lin failed to pay £55,849 in tax between April 2013 and April 2018, prompting a fine of £51,660. The HMRC list says the defaulter was "formerly trading" as a takeaway called Golden Star, based at Gadlys Road in Aberdare.
Emyr Wyn Parry
Emyr Wyn Parry, whose trade was plant hire, defaulted on £31,372.45 between April 2010 and April 2018. Mr Parry, of Spencer Road in Holyhead, received a fine of £16,354. His company Parry EW & Sons launched in 1986.
Jamie Lee Rees
Second-hand car salesman Jamie Lee Rees from Swansea was taken to court in 2017, pleading guilty to three trading standards offences. Swansea Crown Court heard the "rogue dealer and conman" traded under Valley Way Motors while falsely claiming that cars came with warranties and AA cover, had significantly lower mileage than they really did and came with features such as satellite navigation.
Now the 35-year-old has appeared in the latest HMRC list of deliberate tax defaulters over his time trading cars as Liberty Motors between April 2012 and April 2014. The dealer, of Birchgrove, dodged £53,509 and has received a penalty of £12,039.
WalesOnline contacted Mr Rees via his other business, Fabian Motor Company, based at Peniel Green in Llansamlet. He said: "I went to HMRC initially because my accountant died and hadn't submitted any returns and it was all blown out of proportion... All we had was a late payment."
Mr Rees provided a screenshot showing that last year he made a payment of £159,975 to HMRC. He said: "We paid them in full last year."
E Happy Palace
E Happy Palace Ltd was trading as the Sichuan Savour restaurant on Walter Road, Swansea, when the company defaulted on £71,008 in tax between March 2016 and April 2019. Sichuan Savour is ranked as the number one Chinese restaurant in Swansea with a 4.6-star rating after 432 online reviews, according to the Restaurant Guru website.
HMRC has fined E Happy Palace Ltd £36,036. Earlier this month the business changed its registered office address from Sichuan Savour to BPO Insolvency Ltd on Walter Road, according to Companies House. A voluntary liquidator was appointed this month.
Eat Well Kebabs
Eat Well Kebabs Ltd dodged £31,482 in tax between April 2018 and October 2020, resulting in a £19,283 penalty. The HMRC list says the business was "formerly trading" as Istanbul Kebab House on Station Road, Port Talbot. Eat Well Kebabs was liquidated this month according to Companies House.
La Base
La Base Limited, formerly known as Nobleman Law, is a patent and copyright agency which was based on Pentremalwed Road in Morriston, Swansea, when it dodged £34,160 in tax. The missed payments between December 2018 and March 2020 prompted a £23,912 fine.
Companies House says the company is under an active proposal for strike-off. Accounts due by April 2021 are yet to be filed.
Selplas
Selplas Ltd, which was based on Stockton Road in Newport, dodged £57,903 between December 2018 and August 2019. HMRC handed Selplas a penalty of £23,161 for the tax evasion.
Companies House describes Selplas' business as being in the construction of commercial buildings. The register says the company is facing an active proposal for strike-off, with accounts due in December 2020 yet to be filed.
Other defaulters from Wales
HMRC's current list includes six other defaulters from Wales whose details we recently covered in this report. HMRC updates the list every three months and removes each defaulter's details after a year.
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