Latest news with #MatthewBowen
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Getting his teeth done in Turkey was 'worst mistake' - now he owes £100k
A self-employed scaffolder who forked out thousands for botched Turkey teeth has been issued a hefty penalty for evading tax payments, it has been revealed A Welsh scaffolder who previously complained about his Turkey teeth has now been exposed as a tax cheat. Matthew Bowen, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, dodged £103,408 in tax, according to HMRC's latest list of deliberate defaulters. The self-employed man was repotedly slapped with a hefty fine of £66,956 by HMRC for evading tax payments from April 2018 to April 2024. Last year, we covered his story about his botched dental procedure in Turkey, which he branded "the worst mistake" of his life after shelling out £14,000 on the operation, travel, and accommodation, only to claim his new teeth began to "fall apart" within weeks. The 36-year-old, residing in Bryntirion, Ynysboeth, Abercynon, told Wales Online over the phone this week that it was the first he'd heard of his tax evasion. However, the publication reports that this claim doesn't add up with HMRC's procedures, which involve giving each defaulter the opportunity to dispute the publication of their details before they're listed. He promised to return their call within half an hour but failed to do so. Upon contacting him the following day, he said: "I dunno what to say to be honest. I've been trying to contact HMRC but I'm on hold. If I thought I done wrong I wouldn't be trying to ring them." In the title's previous conversation with Mr Bowen regarding his dental disaster, he shared that he had worked tirelessly, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for two years prior to his January 2023 operation in pursuit of a "perfect smile". Did his aspirations lead him to twist the truth with his tax returns? "No," he said, denying tax evasion or knowing about HMRC's concerns. Last year, Mr Bowen revealed his dental troubles started aged 19, when he sustained a broken jaw from an assault in Tesco. "All my teeth started crumbling after that," he explained. The crowns he wanted were not covered on the NHS and getting them fitted privately in the UK would have cost him £27,000, he said. When a friend from Turkey recommended a clinic in his home country, Mr Bowen flew out to Marmaris for a £7,800 operation. Mr Bowen had 18 teeth taken out and 12 metal implants inserted into his jawbone, topped off with porcelain crowns. However, he claimed that the crowns began to disintegrate within weeks, prompting him to return to the clinic in August 2023 for further unsatisfactory treatment. "I've got a big gap from my gums to my teeth," he claimed last year. "You can see all my saliva coming through the tops of my teeth." The dentist responsible, Dr Aras Selcuk, defended his work at the time, asserting: "This is the only patient with problems so far. Everyone is happy, only this guy is not... I told him the saliva between the gum and the teeth is normal." In our initial conversation, Mr Bowen mentioned he was working long hours to save up for another operation to achieve the smile he desired. Asked recently for an update on his dental situation, he simply stated: "They're the same." Individuals or businesses land on HMRC's list if they've deliberately failed to pay over £25,000 in tax. HMRC asserts that the purpose of this list is to "influence behaviour by encouraging defaulters to engage with HMRC". After a year, the names of these defaulters are wiped from the record.
North Wales Live
2 days ago
- Business
- North Wales Live
Getting new teeth in Turkey was 'the worst mistake' of his life, but now he owes £100,000
A man who spoke about his regrets after getting his teeth done in Turkey has now been named and shamed as a tax cheat. Matthew Bowen evaded £103,408 in tax according to HMRC's latest list of deliberate defaulters. The 36-year-old self-employed scaffolder from Rhondda Cynon Taf, has been handed a penalty of £66,956 by the taxman for dodging payments between April 2018 and April 2024. Last year Walesonline reported on his experience of a dental operation in Turkey, which he described as "the worst mistake" of his life having spent £14,000 on the surgery, travel and accommodation - only for his new gnashers to allegedly start "falling apart" within weeks. Mr Bowen, of Bryntirion in Ynysboeth, Abercynon, told Walesonline the phone call from them was the first he had heard about his tax evasion. But this does not tally with the procedures of HMRC, which says it gives each defaulter a chance to argue why their details should not be published before they appear on the list. He said he would call them back in half an hour but did not do so. The next day they rang him again and he said: "I dunno what to say to be honest. I've been trying to contact HMRC but I'm on hold. If I thought I done wrong I wouldn't be trying to ring them." When they spoke to Mr Bowen for last year's piece on his dental woes, he said he worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for two years leading up to his January 2023 operation because he craved a "perfect smile". Did that dream push him to twist the truth with his tax returns? "No," he replied, denying he ever dodged tax or knew about HMRC's concerns over his filings. Speaking last year, Mr Bowen said his dental issues began aged 19 when he sustained a broken jaw from an assault in Aberdare's Tesco supermarket. "All my teeth started crumbling after that," he said. The crowns he wanted were not available on the NHS and getting them fitted privately in the UK would have cost him £27,000, he said, but after a recommendation from a Turkish friend he opted to go to a clinic in Marmaris for a £7,800 operation. Mr Bowen had 18 teeth removed and 12 metal implants inserted to his jawbone, before having porcelain crowns fitted. But he claimed they were "falling apart" within weeks of being put in, so he returned to the clinic in August 2023 for another operation, which again left him dissatisfied. "I've got a big gap from my gums to my teeth," he said last year. "You can see all my saliva coming through the tops of my teeth." The dentist, Dr Aras Selcuk, stood by his work, telling us: "This is the only patient with problems so far. Everyone is happy, only this guy is not... I told him the saliva between the gum and the teeth is normal." In our original interview Mr Bowen said he had been "working so many hours" to save for a new operation to finally get the smile he wanted. This week, when we asked if there was an update on his teeth, he replied: "They're the same." A person or business appears on HMRC's list if they have intentionally defaulted on more than £25,000 in tax. The authority says the list is intended to "influence behaviour by encouraging defaulters to engage with HMRC". Defaulters' details are removed from the list after 12 months.
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
State of Origin: Aussies will splurge $1.1bn on supporting NSW, Qld
Footy-loving Aussies are tipped to spend $1.1bn to cheer on the Blues and Maroons over the course of this year's State of Origin series. ING has crunched the numbers ahead of the second game, showing Queenslanders will spend $30m more this year compared with last year and are now dropping $213m following their favourite rugby league team. The Blues faithful will spend a massive $446m over the three game series, which is about$15m less than in 2024. The remaining spending is from those living outside of NSW or Queensland. ING head of consumer and market insights Matthew Bowen said Origin had grown into a cultural phenomenon, with households willing to spend any savings in their budgets on supporting their team. 'It's a good economic contribution but even more importantly it's an even bigger cultural contribution for Aussies generally,' he told NewsWire. 'It's one of those moments in the calendar that everyone looks forward to, so it's unsurprising that collectively we are willing to put a bit of money behind it and really amplify that experience.' Mr Bowen said the numbers showed that while sports were technically classified as discretionary spending, fans were willing to dig deep into their wallets to cheer on their side. 'It might be a luxury in life but it's so valuable to us as a country, so as soon as we get any household budget, it is going straight into celebrating what we are passionate about and these numbers show it,' he said. After a dominant game one, the Blues will be heading to Perth looking to close out the series, while the Maroons will look to keep the series alive before heading to Sydney for what they hope will be a decider. According to ING, the majority of costs associated with this year's State of Origin series will be fans willing to fly interstate to cheer on their team. Origin tickets, hospitality, accommodation, transportation and merchandise bought at the game is tipped to cost the average footy fan $408. According to Ticketek, the cheapest tickets available for game two are $139, while a premium ticket will set sports fans back $399. Origin is also tipped to be a nice injection into local pubs and clubs across the two states. 'If you want to get out and about at the pub, sports fans are tipped to spend just under 100 bucks,' Mr Bowen said. 'Interestingly, Queenslanders are spending a bit less around $80, so about 20 per cent less than the national average, despite the fact we looked at alcohol and meal prices and they are around the same.' Footy fans are also tipped to 'chuck a sickie' if their side wins, with 6 per cent of NSW fans tipped to call the boss should they win on Wednesday night. If Queensland wins the next two, 14 per cent of their fans are tipped to call their boss to say they need to take the day off. ING tips to cheer on your team on a budget: 1. Buy in bulk ahead of time. If you're planning to host friends and family to mark the occasion, stock up on drinks, snacks and BBQ essentials during supermarket specials or catalogue sales in the weeks leading up to the game. 2. Buy tickets early (or last minute). Early-bird tickets often come with discounts. Alternatively, check resale platforms closer to game day – prices can drop if sellers are trying to offload extras – but if you're going down this route, make sure you're keeping an eye out for scalpers, fake tickets and scammers. 3. Pack your own snacks. Instead of buying an expensive meat pie and beer at the stadium, pack your own snacks and beverages. Some venues allow you to bring in food, but make sure to check the rules on the venue's website beforehand. 4. Skip the merch stand. Official merch is often marked up at venues. If you're in need of new gear and you simply cannot repurpose what you've already got, have a look online beforehand – plus you might be able to buy, swap and sell merch via social media community groups.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Insane amount Aussies spend on sport
Australians are still valuing a day out watching their favourite sporting team live or at the pub and are even willing to miss major milestones to support their team. Cheering on sporting teams collectively costs Australian households $19bn per year, ING research shows ING head of consumer and market insights Matthew Bowen said Aussies were willing to spend big to see their sporting team, as it gives them a sense of community. 'We know that over the past few years in the cost-of-living crunch, people have really pulled back on discretionary spending, and they've been forced to spend it on things like utility bills and healthcare and insurance,' he told NewsWire. 'This spending (on sports) allows fans to invest the enjoyment of their lives, so while it is expensive to watch, it is quite valuable in other areas, as it creates nice memories with families and friends and lets people have a shared purpose or passion.' Sports-mad Aussies are willing to travel for hours to see their team, meaning they are spending on average $408 per person on tickets, food, drinks, accommodation and travel, adding about $3bn to the economy per game. One of these fans is Cameron Moss, a Sydney Roosters supporter who was willing to drive 12 hours by bus from his home in St Marys to Melbourne to see the Chooks in the NRL preliminary final last year. While $3bn is spent on going to the game live, a further 1.8 million Australians are paying for streaming services to watch sport. Adding to the total cost of fandom is 76 per cent of sport lovers spending $200 on a new jersey of their favourite team and another 61 per cent of fans spend $100 on food or drinks at the pub. Based on seeing games live and paying for streaming services, soccer remains the most expensive sport for Aussies to follow, although this is largely due to overseas leagues, including the Premier League and La Liga, while AFL adds about $3bn to the nation's economy. Rugby league and cricket add bout $1.9bn and $1bn respectively. Such is sport's hold on the nation, 1.3 million Australians have chucked a sickie to watch a major sporting event such as the Super Bowl and almost one million have done so after seeing their team win the grand final. 'Unsurprisingly, a few Aussies have said they'd be willing to keep a sickie from work if it was after a big win, particularly a grand final, which I think clearly demonstrates how much value we put on sports,' Mr Bowen said. Aussies are also willing to give up major life events to cheer on their favourite team. The data shows 25 per cent of fans confessed they'd skip a close friend or family member's birthday celebration, while 17 per cent would miss an anniversary dinner or event. Even more shocking, 12 per cent would forgo attending a wedding or funeral, and 8 per cent – equivalent to about 791,000 Aussies – would even miss the birth of their child or grandchild to watch the big game.
