Tax fraud in Saint-Malo: tax authority demands €55,000 from business owner
A Saint-Malo business executive was tried for fraud following the purchase of a Land Rover registered fraudulently. The tax authority is demanding more than €55,398.
Six-seater Land Rover registered for three: Saint-Malo business owner faces court
A business owner from Saint-Malo and his company appeared on Thursday 4 June before the Saint-Malo criminal court for fraud, according to letelegramme.fr. The case began during a routine traffic stop on 30 December 2023 at Plédran, in Côtes-d'Armor, where military personnel from the Saint-Brieuc motorised patrol intercepted a Land Rover whose registration certificate did not match the vehicle itself: the registration document stated three seats, whilst the interior contained six, with a rear bench seat.
A manoeuvre to escape the environmental penalty charge and recover VAT
This type of arrangement allows the buyer of a vehicle for business use to be exempted from the environmental penalty charge and the annual tax, whilst benefiting from VAT recovery. The court president emphasised that this is "an increasingly widespread practice among businesses".
The 52-year-old defendant contested the facts in court, supported by his lawyer who argued for his acquittal. The car, acquired through a lease, belongs to his Saint-Malo-based company, although he pays part of it personally. He explained that he had occasionally raised the bench seat to take his family fishing, his usual vehicle being broken down at that time. He nevertheless acknowledged that he was not insured under these conditions.
The seller contradicts the defendant's version
The business owner blamed the salesman who sold him the vehicle: "I was duped by the salesman", he declared, claiming that the salesman had "suggested that on occasion, he could raise the bench seat". These explanations were contradicted by the seller during the investigation, who stated that his customer, a heavy consumer of vehicles, "knew the regulations perfectly well". The defendant maintained his version, specifying that his only advantage in this purchase lay in the vehicle's immediate availability.
€55,398 demanded by the tax authority, ruling expected on 2 July
According to the tax authority's lawyer, this is a "well-known and established fraud". She is demanding €55,398 in compensation for the damage suffered. The public prosecutor requested a fine of €6,000 against the business owner and €50,000 against his company. The court will issue its ruling on 2 July.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)