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Article: Reckless, mean, inept - the tax officials who sank businessman over bill he'd already paid
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- January 15, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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A PARLIAMENTARY watchdog yesterday condemned the government's
main revenue agency for the "mean spirited" way it "recklessly"
drove a Scottish businessman into bankruptcy over a VAT bill he had
already paid.
Edward Fowler, 56, lost his reputation as a successful
businessman and his GBP 1 million-a-year recruitment company six
years ago after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) began court
proceedings to have him sequestrated over a GBP 37,000 VAT bill.
His wife, Sheila, also had to buy out his share of the family
home to avoid the forced sale of their house in Aberdeen.
But in a scathing report, Ann Abraham, the Parliamentary and
Health Service Ombudsman, said the bill had been paid when ...