Big Sam brands HMRC the ‘most corrupt business’ in Britain

Sam Allardyce: Hit in sting

Sam Allardyce: Hit in sting

Besieged England boss Sam Allardyce has slammed the UK tax system and branded HMRC the “most corrupt business” in Britain.

The latest details from the sting, released by the Telegraph claim that Allardyce told undercover reporters: “The most corrupt business in our country would be what? You’ll be shocked when I tell you this – HMRC.

“They fly out tax demands without any real knowledge whether they should or shouldn’t.

“They just put ‘em out willy-nilly and if you pay them, people s*** themselves and pay them.

“Then they go to their accountant and say, and if you’ve got a s*** accountant, the account s**** himself and says, well you must owe them, you had better pay it.”

Big Sam’s future as England manager remains precarious after the same paper this morning revealed how Allardyce used his position to negotiate a £400,000 deal and appeared to offer advice on how to circumvent Football Association rules on player transfers.

Allardyce was named in 2013 in connection with HMRC’s inquiry into a £450million tax scam.

Wayne Rooney and golfer Rory McIlroy were also among those who invested in the government-backed scheme, which offered tax relief for investing in deprived areas.

There is no suggestion that any of the three did anything wrong and Allardyce, McIlroy and Rooney have always denied any wrongdoing.

Tax avoidance is not illegal in the UK.

Meanwhile, in his time at Sunderland Allardyce was caught up in a £275million tax fraud involving a fake film company.

The CPS is currently seeking to recover some £100million from the scheme’s ringleaders, four of whom were convicted in June.

Sam Allardyce: Wants the country to trust Wayne Rooney

Sam Allardyce: Wants the country to trust Wayne Rooney

“Most of the punters don’t owe it. In fact most of the punters, actually the taxman owes them money. But because the country’s so skint, they come to government and say we’re skint, government says we’re skint how we gonna get the money. Let’s change the laws and let’s just fly out these demands,” Allardyce added.

“If you invested in this tax scheme, where they pay the tax back, for investing in new businesses, or in regeneration zones, do you know what I mean, in current poverty areas.

“But HMRC, you have to pay it back even if you don’t owe it.

“The most corrupt, it’s the most corrupt business in the country at the minute, HMRC”.