7:30 am, October 17, 2025
Automotive companies have been fined more than half a million pounds after the government named and shamed firms found to have ‘deliberately defaulted’ on their tax bills.
HMRC publishes regular lists of companies and individuals which have been found to have intentionally dodged tax as part of a drive to ‘influence taxpayer behaviour’.
The latest list, published on September 25, includes a trio of firms from across the motor trade, who HMRC say have defaulted on tax worth a combined £785,000.
Up first, accident repair outfit D H Autosprayers Ltd, of Bonnyrigg, has been handed a £336,911.99 penalty in relation to £493,644 of unpaid tax between October 2022 and December 2023.
There was also a fine for Surrey-based used car dealer, David Robert Coyne, who trades under the business name ‘CTEC Prestige Surrey’.
HMRC say that Coyne deliberately failed to pay £218,030.56 in tax between April 2017 and April 2021 – resulting in a fine of £114,466.03.
Finally, Billericay scrap car dealer PK Autos Limited was handed a £51,575.11 penalty for dodging £73,678.74 in tax.
Overall, the three firms have racked up penalties totalling £502,953.13.
The tax office says that the defaulters list only includes firms penalised under civil procedures and does not include criminal convictions for tax fraud.
Offenders details will remain available on the government’s website for the next year the authorities try to ‘encourage defaulters to engage with HMRC’.
Meanwhile, the only firm to appear on the department’s June list has hit back at claims it intentionally avoided tax and has now launched a judicial review.
HMRC accused the Stanmore-based Auto Capital Limited of intentionally avoiding an eye watering £252,071 in tax, which was owed between September and November 2021.
The firm, which turned over £16.31m in its most recent set of annual accounts, was fined £201,656 but says that accusations of ‘deliberately defaulting’ on the bill are a ‘gross distortion’.
A spokesman for the outfit told Car Dealer yesterday (Oct 16): ‘While we acknowledge the existence of a tax dispute with HMRC, the claim that we “deliberately defaulted” on a bill is a gross distortion of the facts.
‘Auto Capital has been fully compliant with all HMRC requirements, and it is precisely for this reason that we are appealing the decision.
‘To be unequivocally clear, Auto Capital is up to date with all HMRC tax obligations and we hold no outstanding liabilities with HMRC.
‘The original decision is actively being challenged, and we are proceeding with a formal Judicial Review. We are highly confident in the outcome of this legal process.
‘Auto Capital is a vital part of a vibrant community ecosystem. We want our partners — from schools and hospitals to small businesses and families across the UK — to be assured of our financial stability.
‘Our reputation is built on years of hard work, financial stability, and ethical practice. Our focus remains on our customers and the successful operation of our business.’
On its website, HMRC says of the lists: ‘These deliberate acts have resulted in HMRC establishing an additional amount of tax of more than £25,000.
‘HMRC will only publish the details where the taxpayer has not made a full and immediate disclosure when HMRC started to investigate or prior to any investigation.
‘The list relates to deliberate defaulters who’ve been dealt with using civil proceedings.
‘The list does not contain details of criminal convictions of those found guilty of a criminal offence in open court and therefore the verdict and sentence is a matter of public record.’
The updated lists come after Car Dealer reported earlier this year how Derek McCarrity, of Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, had been fined £2.14m for dodging a staggering £3.15m in tax relating to his car sales business.
The latest lists can be viewed here.
