Reform UK Deputy Leader Embroiled in Tax Dispute

A row has erupted over tax paid by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice's property company, with the party claiming it was a 'minor administrative error'. The company, Quidnet REIT Limited, failed to pay £91,000 in tax before dividends were paid to Tice and his offshore trust, according to reports.

Tice has downplayed the issue, calling it a 'technicality' and stating that 'overall HMRC received the correct amount of tax due'. However, Labour has labelled the row 'a major scandal' that raises questions about Tice's integrity and credibility.

Response from HMRC and Reform UK

A HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, saying 'We neither confirm nor deny investigations and we cannot comment on identifiable individuals'. Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, conceded that the error was 'minor' but described it as a 'non story'.

Yusuf explained that any tax underpaid by the company would have been overpaid by Tice himself in the form of income tax. Tice also took to social media to defend himself, saying the reporting had revealed that 'overall HMRC received the correct amount of tax due' and that the paper was 'effectively complaining I paid too much tax rather than [my] company pay some tax on my behalf'.

Criticism from Opposition Parties

Labour has called for Tice to explain whether his business followed the law and paid the full tax it owed. Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey went further, calling for Tice to be sacked over the reports. Sir Ed tweeted: 'Morally completely indefensible. Farage should sack Richard Tice immediately'.

Last month, Labour asked HMRC to investigate Tice's tax affairs after reports emerged that his property company had 'avoided nearly £600,000 in corporation tax'. Tice has maintained that his company is a UK company paying UK tax in accordance with UK laws and that there is no obligation to pay the maximum tax required.