A former builder from Hampshire has been jailed for over two years after he falsely claimed more than £750,000 in VAT repayments to pay for his gambling and living expenses

Peter Howes, 58, of Waterlooville, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to the fraudulent evasion of VAT.

Mr Howes claimed he was working as a builder and entitled to VAT repayments on his taxable purchases. However, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators found Mr Howes hadn't been working and had simply made up the figures on his VAT returns.

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Overall, he fraudulently claimed £750,602 under his former trading name of 'P D Howes Building and Development'. He received around £9,500 each month, and spent the money on gambling and his general lifestyle. HMRC withheld £19,875 of the money claimed while investigations took place.

Richard Wilkinson, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: "Howes committed VAT fraud to fund his gambling habit, and is now in jail for his crime. He stopped working as a builder and used the tax system as his personal bank account. It is simply not acceptable to steal from UK taxpayers and the public services we all rely upon.

"HMRC will continue to pursue those criminals who attack the tax system. We ask anyone with information about suspected VAT fraud to report it to us online or contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887."

(LM/MH)