Lloyds accused of avoiding tax to artificially boost profits - papers

clock

A former employee of Lloyds Banking Group has accused the bank of artificially inflating its profits by almost £1bn through the use of aggressive tax-avoidance schemes and exotic "Lehman- style" offshore deals which he said amounted to false accounting.

The former senior tax manager at the bank told an employment tribunal Lloyds was involved in running battles with Revenue & Customs after it embarked on a hostile relationship with the tax authority over multimillion-pound corporation tax bills while involved in extensive manipulation of the way it accounted for unpaid taxes, The Guardian reports. Between 2005 and 2007, he said, the bank insisted that finance staff devise ever more elaborate ways to depress a growing tax bill, many of them involving the now collapsed Lehman Brothers and the discredited financial products division of AIG,...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

Advice value recognition from clients increases since Consumer Duty

Advice value recognition from clients increases since Consumer Duty

Strong endorsement of the value of financial advice, Aviva finds

Isabel Baxter
clock 15 July 2025 • 3 min read
Digital natives, critical minds: What Gen Z's scepticism means for the future of wealth management

Digital natives, critical minds: What Gen Z's scepticism means for the future of wealth management

'The industry faces a radical shift in generational expectations'

Jim London
clock 14 July 2025 • 3 min read
'Unworkable' IHT/pension reform risks undermining Consumer Duty

'Unworkable' IHT/pension reform risks undermining Consumer Duty

‘They’ve smashed complex pensions and complex IHT together’

Sahar Nazir
clock 14 July 2025 • 4 min read