MTIC (VAT and Carousel) Fraud

MTIC (Missing Trader Intra-Community) fraud, also known as carousel fraud has, in recent years, become the main target of HMRC’s law enforcement efforts. It is estimated that it causes millions in losses to the UK economy each year.

We have successfully represented many individual  defendants in such criminal enquiries  and most recently we secured the dismissal of HMRC’s case against an exporter of mobile telephones in what HMRC described as the largest ever prosecution of a case of this type.

We also represent traders in a number of sectors seeking repayment of withheld VAT.

Highlight Cases

We have represented Optigen and Fulcrum in their combined reference to the European Court of Justice, successfully establishing that HMRC was not entitled to withhold VAT repayments to innocent traders involved in transaction chains which were, unbeknown to them, tainted by fraud. Also noteworthy;

• Telecoms corporates’ appeal against £30 million repayment claim refusal