A “so called” tax consultant has been found guilty of stealing almost £7m from individuals in the construction industry.

Former Inland Revenue employee Mike Hughes, who is already in jail after receiving a sentence of over nine years in 2018 for conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, false accounting and money laundering, operated a payroll scam which saw him deduct taxes from the workers but not paying it over to HMRC.

Hughes has now been told that he must pay back £1.7m within 3 months or face a further 4 years in jail and still owe the money.

Construction workers beware, make sure you know that your taxes are being paid to HMRC should you have a third party dealing with your income.