Takeaway boss handed 7-year ban for under-declaring sales

A takeaway owner from Norwich was disqualified from running a business for seven years after suppressing sales figures to avoid paying tax.

Huseyin Gozel (41), from Norwich, was appointed director of Mardin & Maras Limited in June 2014. The company had been incorporated two years earlier in May 2012 and traded as Caesar’s Pizza & Kebab on Dereham Road.

In September 2019, however, Mardin & Maras entered liquidation as it could not pay its debts and Huseyin Gozel’s conduct was referred to the Insolvency Service for further inquiries.

Investigators found that from February 2013 until May 2018, Huseyin Gozel had caused the company to deliberately suppress its takings on returns submitted to the tax authorities.

Huseyin Gozel had also deliberately failed to account for the correct PAYE tax and National Insurance tax contributions for four consecutive tax years between 2015 and 2019. This meant Mardin & Maras’ corporate tax returns were also found to be inaccurate from May 2014 until May 2018.

In total at liquidation, Mardin & Maras owed the tax authorities more than £400,000, including interest and penalties.

On 11 December, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted an undertaking from Huseyin Gozel after he did not dispute that he failed to submit accurate tax returns.

His disqualification is effective from 1 January 2021 and Huseyin Gozel is banned from acting as a director or directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company

“Huseyin Gozel did not take his responsibilities as a director seriously enough and, throughout the time he was involved in the company, deliberately underdeclared sales to avoid the takeaway meeting its tax obligations,” said deputy head of insolvent investigations, Lawrence Zussman.

“More than £400,000 is missing from the public purse due to Huseyin Gozel’s misconduct and this disqualification means he will be banned from acting as a director in any business for seven years.”

Source: Financial Accountant. Click here to read more.