More than 150 businesses and individuals have been publicly named by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after deliberately failing to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax, as the Government intensifies its crackdown on tax evasion.
The latest HMRC tax defaulters list identifies firms and individuals across Britain who each failed to pay at least £25,000 in tax and did not fully cooperate with investigators, triggering financial penalties and public exposure.
A total of 43 London-based businesses and individuals accounted for £4.8 million in penalties, while 12 Scottish businesses also featured alongside companies from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The names will remain on HMRC’s public register for 12 months under its long-standing “deliberate tax defaulters” policy, which is designed to deter tax evasion and protect honest businesses from unfair competition.
The latest list includes a wide range of high street firms, including takeaway restaurants, convenience stores and vape retailers, all of which accumulated unpaid tax bills exceeding the publication threshold before HMRC launched investigations.
According to the tax authority, those named could have avoided public disclosure had they made a full and unprompted admission during the investigation process. Instead, their failure to fully cooperate resulted in both financial penalties and publication of their details.
The register relates to civil tax penalties and does not include businesses or individuals convicted through the criminal courts.
Among those listed in Scotland, Muirhead Farm received the largest penalty at £139,042, while Bubble Treats in Dunfermline was fined £98,677 over tax failures spanning two years.
Kevin Hubbard, HMRC’s Director of Small Business and Individuals, said: “Too many high streets have businesses that are undercutting their honest neighbours by failing to pay the tax they owe.
“That is unfair to compliant businesses and to the communities they serve, and we are determined to tackle it.”
He added that the latest publication demonstrated HMRC’s enforcement activity extends across every part of the UK.
The publication comes as HMRC prepares a major enforcement drive involving more than 30,000 compliance interventions targeting tax evasion and wider criminal activity among high street businesses.
The programme will see additional compliance officers visiting retail premises nationwide, while investigators will also focus on directors accused of repeatedly shutting companies to avoid tax liabilities before reopening under new names.
HMRC said publicly naming deliberate tax defaulters remains an important tool in encouraging compliance, warning businesses that failing to cooperate during investigations could leave them facing both substantial penalties and reputational damage.
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