Snail farms run out of central London offices in 370k tax avoidance scheme

"Boxes of snails have been found in empty central London offices by council officers investigating property owners allegedly avoiding tax. Crates of gastropods were discovered in the West End after unscrupulous traders attempted to claim business rate exemptions. But teams from the council's revenues team rumbled the scheme when they went to office addresses in Old Marylebone Road. Under UK tax law, agricultural buildings and fish farms are exempt from paying business rates if they are viable commercial firms."

"This latest raid vividly illustrates an issue of business rates avoidance based on the ludicrous notion of snail farms which we have raised with central Government before. In the last fortnight we have discovered more boxes of snails in empty office buildings in Westminster so there is little sign of this racket slowing up. Rather than unscrupulous traders dropping on one avoidance scheme after another, it would be good to see a general clause on business rates avoidance and evasion"

Council officers investigating alleged business rates avoidance discovered crates of snails stored in empty offices on Old Marylebone Road in the West End. Traders attempted to claim exemptions by presenting snail holdings as agricultural or fish farm businesses exempt from business rates if they are viable commercial firms. The scheme has cost the authority about £368,000. Four businesses linked to the scheme have been liquidated for non-payment of levies, and the council is pursuing legal winding-up processes against two further companies. The council has asked the Insolvency Service to consider director bans and says enforcement will continue despite limited resources.

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