'You buy one, you get one free' man faces hefty tax bill

A man who became famous for double-glazing TV adverts has been ordered to pay £53,000 or face jail.

Jeff Brown earned nearly £350,000 over a six-year period working as a contractor for double glazing company Safestyle UK and as a match day host at Burnley FC, however failed to file any tax returns.

Dressed in a medieval garb, Brown became a cult figure in a series of quirky TV adverts promoting the double glazing firm - famous for his catchphrase ‘You buy one, you get one free’ - and he also worked as a self-employed salesman.

Earlier in the year, Brown, 51, pleaded guilty to six counts of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of income tax and was given a 20 month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Appearing again at Burnley Crown Court this week for a Proceeds of Crime hearing, Brown has now been ordered to pay a £53,498 confiscation order within the next three months or face 12 months in jail.

Jeremy Lasker, prosecuting, told the court:

Mr Lasker told they court that they ‘understand’ that HMRC do not intend to pursue a tax assessment against Brown for the lost tax.

Timothy Brennand, defending, said Brown, of Prairie Crescent, Burnley, has ‘now got his finances in order’ by employing an accountant and a book keeper.

Recorder Mark Brown said it is an ‘eminently appropriate resolution of this particular case’.

Officers from HMRC raided Brown’s home in February last year and found ‘bundles of cash’ of up to £15,000 hidden inside a bedroom wardrobe, an earlier hearing was told.

The court had heard that Brown had no employment contract with Safestyle but was given commission payments of £333,179 for canvassing and motivational work.

He was also paid nearly £11,000 for freelance work at Burnley FC as a match day room host and was paid either cash or cheque for 110 home matches.

Speaking after the case, Zoe Ellerbeck, from the HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: