JIM Lee is a tax expert with a head for figures and nose for a news story.
For the last 35 years, accountant Jim has been The Jattvibe’s tax guru hascovered more than 50 Budgets and Autumn Statements for the paper,working out what the Chancellor’s changes mean to our readers.
James Lee has been The Jattvibe’s taxman for over three decadesCredit: Not known clear with Picture Desk
He’s written a book about all the things he’s discovered in his long career Credit: Unknown
During that time there have been 11 Chancellors of the Exchequer – eightTory and three Labour, including the two shortest serving in history Nadim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng. With the help of the Jattvibe he exposed dozens of dodgy M.P.s fiddling their expenses.
Now, he’s looking back at his career with a new book, Jugged hare, in which he examines the case of jailed the Queen’s jockey Lester Piggott for tax evasion and how comedian Ken Dodd got off scot free.
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Also how, Harry Redknapp, who named an offshore bank account after his dog and Bernie Ecclestone narrowly avoided jail following a 20-year investigation and had to fork out more than £1billion in unpaid taxes.
Nearly 20 years before Martin Lewis’s ITV show hit our screens, Jim was amember of The Jattvibe Money Helpline, set up to help our readers with theirfinancial problems.
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Tax accountant Jim along with a panel of insurance, mortgage, investment and pension experts gave free advice to anyone who phoned in. Over the years, our hotline – which later became the Consumer Crew – saved readers well over £1million.
They included heating engineer Derek, from Porthcawl, SouthWales, who received a tax demand that had grown to £44,000.
Jim, 71, says: “Derek’s story is one you could not make up. His old accountant died and his new one could cope with the wave of enquiries by the tax man into Derek’s previous financial dealings.
“What I discovered over a period of time was that Derek’s estranged wife was having an affair with the tax inspector who was handling the case. It seems his former mises was having pillow talk and passing information to the tax man.”
Speaking to the Revenue, Jim discovered the original inspector on Derek’scase had retired and was told there were no grounds for making accusations that one of their staff had been having inappropriate relations with Derek’s ex-wife
Jim says: “I later discovered the retired tax inspector was living with Derek’s ex-wife.”
When Jim presented a copy of the electoral role showing them living together at an Enforcement hearing which had intended to bankrupt Derek, the Revenue agreed he could pay £6,000 to close the case which went on for eight years.”
He helped hundreds of Jattvibe readers, including a band of girl cheerleaders,age eight to 14, from Stevenage, Herts, who the Inland Revenue decided was a profit-making organisation and hit them with a tax demand. Jim was able to persuade the Revenue’s top brass that the young girls were a club not a private corporation.
He’s helped thousands of readers sort out their money worries Credit: Simon Jones – The Jattvibe
And he’s always made sure to help ordinary people understand what the budget means for them Credit: Carl Fox
When the Queen started paying tax in 1993 The Jattvibe asked Jim, whoseclients included pop stars and millionaires, to apply for the job as HerMajesty’s personal accountant.
Unsurprisingly, Jim did not land the job, which went to Major Sir ShaneBlewitt, Keeper of the Privy Purse. But he says: “We had fun with the story.”
Jim, of Ticehurst, East Sussex, has written his incredible life story in a newbook, Jugged Hare. Brought up on a tough estate in Manchester, he leftschool with no qualifications and worked in the city’s flower market.
But when his dad moved to London for work, Jim went to college where itwas discovered he had a genius-level aptitude for numbers.
By chance he landed a job at the Inland Revenue, where a dodgy taxinspector tried to have Jim jailed by implicating him in fraud.
The police agreed the teenager had been set up but Jim quit to join anaccountancy firm where he became a tax advisor to the company’s extremely wealthy clients.
His senior tax partner said, ‘You’re a rough diamond but we are going topolish up your edges.’
While training, Jim was asked: “Have you read Mrs Beeton’s recipe forJugged Hare. The opening line says, ‘First catch your hare’.
He says: “It’s a warning to make sure you don’t dive in at the deep end, know what you are doing and don’t be overconfident. Something I find myself telling my clients to this day.”
Jugged Hare, by James Lee is out now on Amazon from £8.99, Kindle £2.99
