A discount furniture store boss who 'chose to be greedy' has been jailed over tax fraud.
Anthony Whitehead, 60, the owner of Warehouse Prestwich off Bury New Road in Prestwich, 'lied' on his tax return to ensure he paid 'almost no VAT', HM Revenue and Customs said.
They said the store's business sales amounted to £2,229,197 - but Whitehead paid just £205 in VAT over five years.
He's now starting a two year, four month jail sentence.
HMRC investigators said in a statement that his business was 'doing very well', but he 'chose to be greedy' in what they called a 'deliberate and ongoing scam'.
In total, taxpayers were cheated out of more than £150,000, HMRC said.
At Chester Crown Court in March, Whitehead, from Middlewich in Cheshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent evasion of VAT contrary to the Value Added Tax Act 1994.
He was jailed by a judge at the same court for two years and four months on April 4.
HMRC has published the details of the case.
And Whitehead could now face having to pay back the tax he owed - HMRC said it has started confiscation proceedings to recover the money.
Warehouse Prestwich is based at The Old Co-op Yard off Warwick Street in Prestwich.
It sells all types of furniture for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms.
In a statement, HMRC said: "Whitehead was caught after HM Revenue and Customs officers analysed his company records and found that he had dishonestly declared identical sales and purchases on his VAT returns between May, 2011 and August, 2016, paying just £205 in VAT over five years.
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"He lied on his tax returns to ensure that he paid almost no VAT, despite his business sales being £2,229,197."
Tim Atkins, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said Whitehead's 'reputation as an honest businessman is in tatters'.
He said: "Whitehead was doing very well from his business but he chose to be greedy.
"This was a deliberate and ongoing scam, but we've pulled the rug from under his feet and his reputation as an honest businessman is in tatters.
"VAT fraud steals money from vital public services such as schools and hospitals. This money is equivalent to the wages of six trainee firefighters.
"I urge anyone with information about tax fraud to report it to HMRC online or call our fraud hotline. HMRC has begun confiscation proceedings to recover the money owed."
HMRC said he admitted VAT fraud worth £150,440 in total.
Warehouse Prestwich is open.
The M.E.N. has contacted the company for comment.
The HMRC hotline is on 0800 788 887.
