Does it make you angry when you hear of wealthy individuals hiding assets and avoiding paying tax? Are you appalled that honest taxpayers are forced to pay more to make up for those who cheat the system? Have you ever wished you could do something to help fight tax crime? 

There is one crime which goes largely undetected in the UK that goes hand-in-hand with tax fraud and that is non-disclosure in divorce cases. Non-disclosure within legal proceedings is a criminal offence under Section 3, Fraud Act 2006. The law states that, in order for a court to deal fairly with litigants, including divorcing partners, each must make a full and frank disclosure of their case and financial position. The reality is, however, quite different and there are few, if any, effective sanctions and penalties available to the courts to inflict on those involved in non-disclosure...

This is what the Michelle Young Foundation is seeking to change and we need your help to do it.

People who hide assets are devious and do so in order to avoid paying tax. They are more than happy that you and other honest taxpayers are forced to pay more than your fair share of tax whilst they hide their wealth and assets from HMRC and continue to line their own pockets. And if they are going through a divorce, they have a massive incentive to lie, cheat and scheme. They get to keep as much of their own wealth and assets as they can for themselves, often leaving their families in extreme hardship and, often, in a precarious financial position as a result, whilst they enjoy their undisclosed wealth and assets tax-free.

For every former spouse and for every child who has been robbed and wronged through non-disclosure in the divorce courts, the taxpayer has been robbed, too.  And, if you think these cases are rare, you are wrong. A recent article suggests that at least one-third of spouses (almost always the husband) conceal wealth and assets during divorce hearings. In our experience and judging from the stories of many of our members who have been left impoverished whilst their former partners enjoy a luxury lifestyle, the number is far higher. Victims of injustice resulting from non-disclosure are almost always female. Instances of child poverty and mental ill-health can also be shown to be directly-related to the abuse of the court within divorce proceedings.

Michelle Young’s case has received a great deal of media attention because of the figures involved, but the Michelle Young Foundation is fighting for every single person, whatever the assets of their marriage and sex, who has been defrauded through non-disclosure. Michelle has been fighting for eight years for fair treatment for herself and her two daughters and she has yet to receive one penny of the award finally made to her, an award which she believes was based on an entirely fictitious position presented to the court.

We are lobbying for changes to be made so that those found guilty of non-disclosure are dealt with by the criminal courts and those guilty of non-disclosure are barred from holding any senior position within a company and forced to pay ALL of the innocent party’s legal costs. We believe that such penalties would be a far more effective deterrent than the current ineffective system and would lead to billions of pounds of potentially unpaid tax being recovered, resulting in a fairer system for every single taxpayer.

Funds raised by the Michelle Young Foundation will be used to help divorcing spouses facing financial hardship fight those they suspect of non-disclosure and tax fraud to ensure these crimes do not continue to go undetected. The foundation will help investigate the net worth of partners who refuse to disclose their assets. A percentage of funds raised through asset recovery will then be donated to the foundation to continue the on-going fight against non-disclosure and tax fraud.

Non-disclosure is fraud. Tax fraud affects us all, not just those going through divorce proceedings. Fraud is a crime and on conviction carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. 

Please click on the green ‘Donate’ button to donate to the Michelle Young Foundation and, with your help, we can continue our fight against tax fraud and non-disclosure and work for fairness and justice for all.