Two more tax-dodging window salesmen sentenced after HMRC taskforce swoop
26th May 2015

HM Revenue & Customs has repeated its warning that its criminal investigation taskforce still has the window industry ‘on its radar’ after two more Safestyle salesmen were sentenced by a Crown Court for concealing six-figure earnings from the taxman.

The two cases originated from the same HMRC sting, in North East England, as a previous conviction (The Glazine, March 31) but a spokesperson said that the same task force may turn its attention back on the window industry in any other region.

Leeds Crown Court heard how self-employed Wesley Roetteis, 33, and Ashfaq Hussain, 40 had hidden earnings of more than half a million pounds from HMRC. Each had signed agreements with Safestyle UK stating they would take care of their own tax affairs. Instead, the pair failed to register as self-employed, submit any tax returns or pay tax and National Insurance contributions.

Jo Tyler, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said: “It was made very clear to both of these men that it was entirely up to them to ensure they were properly registered to pay tax. Unfortunately for them, they have found out the hard way that pleading ignorance is simply not an excuse."

Roetteis, of Bradford, pocketed a total of £ £447,447 during a successful career with the firm that saw him earn an average of more than £60,000 a year between 2007 and 2014. Investigations established that he had avoided paying £128,330 in Income Tax and National Insurance.

During interview, Roetteis admitted he had never paid any tax in his life. He told HMRC that it wasn’t until 2011 – four years into his self-employment – that it dawned on him that he was supposed to pay his own tax. Roetteis said it was then that his “world fell apart”.

He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of Income Tax at Bradford Crown Court. This week at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work.

Meanwhile, Ashfaq Hussain, of Bradford, had also been working as a self-employed salesman for Safestyle UK between 2007 and 2012, earning £121,296 over five years. But, like Roetteis, he failed to register as self-employed or submit tax returns.

HMRC investigators found that Hussain had an additional job as an administration assistant and that his income was topped up with Tax Credit payments of £48,934 between 2007 and 2012 – he would have only been entitled to around £11,000 if he had declared his self-employed income.

Hussain was prosecuted separately and had pleaded guilty to five counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of Income Tax and to five counts of fraudulently obtaining benefit. This week, also at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard that both men had attended voluntary interviews with HMRC officers after receiving letters stating they were under investigation for tax evasion.

A statement from HMRC said: “Roetteis and Hussain were identified as part of taskforce activity looking at individuals operating on a self-employed basis receiving income from commission or canvassing relating to double glazing.

Taskforces bring together various HMRC compliance and enforcement teams for intensive bursts of activity targeted at specific sectors and locations where there is evidence of high risk of tax evasion and fraud.”