A FORMER Taunton woman who tried to cover up a £47,000 tax fraud has been jailed after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Maxine Brooks, 55, also known as Maxine Middleditch, from Armathwaite, Carlisle, submitted £47,543 in fraudulent VAT repayment claims for her company Maxiclean (UK) Services Ltd between February 2014 and November 2016.

Brooks pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court on April 10 and was sentenced to two years in jail when she appeared at the same court today (13 July 2018).

His honour Judge Hughes QC described Brooks as a “deceitful” and “manipulative” person who was “dishonest from the outset”.

HMRC officers found that while the business was VAT registered, the company hadn’t actually traded for that period and therefore wasn’t due any repayments.

Colin Spinks, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: “Brooks submitted these false repayment claims with the sole intention of pocketing cash she wasn’t owed to fund her own lifestyle.

“HMRC will continue to pursue criminals who attack the tax system and we ask anyone with information about suspected VAT fraud to contact us online or call our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”