[UK] Tax avoidance scheme firm director disqualified until 2034

The Insolvency Service has announced that a director who promoted a tax avoidance scheme which deprived HMRC of more than £2.5m in unpaid tax has been disqualified, Recruiter reports.

Alastair Lunt was the director of Peak PAYE between October 2020 and February 2022 when it caused losses of a minimum of £2.64m to HMRC. 

Mr Lunt reportedly failed to notify HMRC of the scheme, which had around 250 users, as he was required to by law. He was banned as a company director for 10 years and now lives in Southern California.

Claire Entwistle - assistant director of operations at the Insolvency Service - said, “Tax avoidance schemes are marketed as ways for people to pay less tax but do not always work as advertised, landing customers instead with a big tax bill.

“Our public services also rely on everyone paying their taxes, and schemes such as this deprive the UK of the revenue it needs to invest in our hospitals, schools and roads.”

Mr Lunt was required to notify HMRC of the scheme. He failed to do so. 

Peak PAYE operated its tax avoidance scheme by paying contractors the National Minimum Wage, then paying their remaining wages disguised as a financial option or as a salary advance.

The company had a registered office in Manchester. It reportedly promised users they could avoid paying National Insurance and income tax as a result.

In November 2022, the company was ordered by HMRC to stop running the scheme. It entered liquidation the following month. 

Mr Lunt moved to his current address in California following his involvement with Peak PAYE.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade reportedly accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Lunt. His ban started on 30 September 2024 and will end in September 2034. It prevents Mr Lunt from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the court’s permission.

Source: Recruiter

(Quotes via original reporting)

The Insolvency Service has announced that a director who promoted a tax avoidance scheme which deprived HMRC of more than £2.5m in unpaid tax has been disqualified, Recruiter reports.

Alastair Lunt was the director of Peak PAYE between October 2020 and February 2022 when it caused losses of a minimum of £2.64m to HMRC. 

Mr Lunt reportedly failed to notify HMRC of the scheme, which had around 250 users, as he was required to by law. He was banned as a company director for 10 years and now lives in Southern California.

Claire Entwistle - assistant director of operations at the Insolvency Service - said, “Tax avoidance schemes are marketed as ways for people to pay less tax but do not always work as advertised, landing customers instead with a big tax bill.

“Our public services also rely on everyone paying their taxes, and schemes such as this deprive the UK of the revenue it needs to invest in our hospitals, schools and roads.”

Mr Lunt was required to notify HMRC of the scheme. He failed to do so. 

Peak PAYE operated its tax avoidance scheme by paying contractors the National Minimum Wage, then paying their remaining wages disguised as a financial option or as a salary advance.

The company had a registered office in Manchester. It reportedly promised users they could avoid paying National Insurance and income tax as a result.

In November 2022, the company was ordered by HMRC to stop running the scheme. It entered liquidation the following month. 

Mr Lunt moved to his current address in California following his involvement with Peak PAYE.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade reportedly accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Lunt. His ban started on 30 September 2024 and will end in September 2034. It prevents Mr Lunt from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the court’s permission.

Source: Recruiter

(Quotes via original reporting)