The latest tax evasion list names and shames deliberate defaulters from Wales including a car dealership and the owner of a highly-rated takeaway. A person or business appears on the list if they have intentionally defaulted on more than £25,000 in tax.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) says releasing the list is “about influencing behaviour by encouraging defaulters to engage with HMRC”. Before updating its list HMRC gives each defaulter an opportunity to argue why their details should not be published.
The UK Government department removes a defaulter’s details after 12 months. Below are the Wales-based names on the list, which was last updated on November 28. We have made efforts to approach the people and businesses listed.
Leeway Motor Company
Leeway Motor Company Ltd, a used car dealership based at Unit 2 in Leeway industrial estate, Newport, dodged a total of £66,693 in tax across two periods – from December 2019 to May 2020 and then from June 2021 to November 2021. The business has landed a penalty of £40,164.
During the first period of tax evasion the company’s director was Steven John Gibbons, 36, who resigned in June 2020. At that point Thomas Reynolds, 42, became director and the second period of tax evasion happened under his stewardship. The business had been set up in August 2017 and entered liquidation in August 2024. By that time its accounts were well overdue. The last time the company filed accounts was in 2022 when it stated assets of £428,315 and debts of £292,627.
Mr Reynolds owns a separate company, TMR Cars Ltd, which is a used car dealership based at the same unit on the industrial estate. In 2022 that business had assets of £157,000 and debts of £110,229. The following year it had assets of £569,148 and debts of £523,114.
T&J Parcels
T&J Parcels LLP, a courier service that was based at 17 Birch Grove in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, evaded tax payments of £235,600 between June and August 2023. The business has been ordered by HMRC to pay a penalty of £131,936. According to Companies House the limited liability partnership’s accounts have been overdue since March. Last month Tracey Rosser, 49, resigned as a partner at T&J Parcels while John Pitts, 39, remains an active member.
Last year the business moved to a new office address at 8 Tollgate Close in Cardiff. On its website the firm says it has eight years of experience in the multi-drop sector, adding: “We are family-run and take pride in building a reputation within the local community. We have contracts with one of the UK’s biggest delivery companies and have a number of vans of all sizes available 24/7, 365 days a week [sic] for parcel and collection work.” The business also says it has been a “major sponsor” of Ebbw Vale rugby club.
Fehmi Akar
Fehmi Akar evaded £60,463 in tax while running the Peri-Peri Chicken takeaway at 16 Victoria Square in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, between January 2018 and August 2022. HMRC has ordered the 47-year-old, from Turkey, to pay a penalty of £31,743. The fast food joint has an average score of 4.4 stars on Just Eat after 961 ratings.
Arthur Wyn Davies
Arthur Wyn Davies, a 56-year-old carpenter from the rural community of Nebo in Llanon, Ceredigion, evaded £66,668 in tax between April 2018 and April 2022. HMRC has imposed a penalty of £42,000.
Since 2020 Mr Davies has been a co-director of a company called ARHD Developments Ltd, which develops building projects. According to last year’s accounts the business had assets of £77,608 and debts of £80,076.
Other defaulters from Wales
HMRC updates its list roughly every three months. The current list names several other defaulters from Wales whose details we included in this story.