Window surveyor sentenced after ‘Double Glazing Taskforce’ swoop
November 2016

A former window surveyor, who failed to declare his earnings to dodge over £59,000 in Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions, has been sentenced.

Andrew Overton, 55, was paid £255,000 in commission over a six-and-a-half-year period on the sales he generated for a national window company but he didn’t complete Self Assessment tax returns. The fraud was discovered as part of HMRC’s Double Glazing Taskforce, which targeted individuals working in the industry suspected of not paying enough tax.

Overton, 55, Foxholes Road, Poole, Dorset pleaded guilty to tax evasion at Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court on 27 October. He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court last week to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

The offences took place between May 2005 and October 2011, with £59,482.72 in Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions evaded.

HMRC taskforces target specific sectors where there is a risk that some are not paying the tax they owe. Since taskforces began in May 2011, more than 140 taskforces have been launched, bringing in more than £540 million.

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. The teams visit traders to examine their records and carry out other investigations.

Anyone with information about tax fraud can call the hotline on 0800 59 5000 or report it online at: https://www.gov.uk/topic/dealing-with-hmrc/tax-compliance