Mossley restaurant owner jailed for cooking the books

The owner of a restaurant in Mossley has been jailed after lying about his sales to evade paying tax.

The owner of a restaurant in Mossley has been jailed after lying about his sales to evade paying tax.

Sahit Ferrati, owner of Feratti’s on Stamford Street, did not declare sales to evade £63,000 in Income Tax and VAT.

An investigation by HM Revenue and Customs found that the 51-year-old concealed a significant number of sales at his restaurant over the course of more than five years.

He was caught after investigators bought a meal in January 2016 but later checks found he had not put the sale through the till.

HMRC investigators found that between 2011 and 2017, Ferati did not pay £9,000 in Income Tax Self-Assessment and £54,000 in VAT.

Tim Atkins, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Ferati fiddled his books to pocket enough public money to pay the salaries of two qualified nurses for a year. This sentence should give him food for thought.

 “HMRC is determined to create a level playing field for honest, legitimate businesses by tackling tax fraud. I would urge anyone with information on tax fraud to report it to HMRC online or contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, January 17, Ferati was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Ferati must serve nine months in jail, followed by nine months on licence.

Feratti’s has now been replaced by a new restaurant, San Giorgio, which is a new company under the ownership of Anthony Owen.

In a statement to the Tameside Reporter, Anthony said: “I am shocked to hear that the previous owner has been prosecuted for these offences, we had no idea prior to, or during our takeover about these allegations. 

“I'd like to make clear that San Giorgio is an entirely separate company with no relation to the previous owner whatsoever. We are proud supporters of paying the correct and fair tax, in order to give back to the community and society that allows our business to thrive."

Information about any type of tax fraud can be reported to HMRC online at https://www.gov.uk/report-an-unregistered-trader-or-business.