#1: non-conformist education
Series 2 trailer: The Corruption Diaries with Richard Allen
#2 The Free Festival Scene
Guests
In Series Two: Richard Allen’s passion was alternative music and he set up in the music business with his own record label, managing and touring with bands like Porcupine Tree. But a tax loophole took all of that away from him and he unexpectedly became a campaigner, taking on tax dodgers and the British authorities from his garden shed. In this first episode, Richard Allen’s  chance encounter with non-conformist education set him on a path away from the mainstream.
The music in this episode is courtesy of Cherry Red Records. In order of use, the tracks used are: Solstice song by Mandragora, Malpaso by Josiah and Movement by Praise Space Electric.
This is a Tax Justice Network podcast with Naomi Fowler of the Taxcast podcast. Produced and sound designed by Leo Schick.
Further Sources

1

Richard Allen, Linkedin

2

Richard Allen's campaigning organisation RAVAS: Retailers Against VAT Abuse Schemes
More episodes
Apr 3
2026
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#14 Tax avoidance: the musical
When Richard Allen started trading online back in the early '90s, the internet was a shiny new thing. Since then, it's transformed the High Street. Tax abuse gave online retail an unfair head start. Combine that with monopolistic behaviours and there are still plenty of challenges to overcome. In the final episode: what can we learn from Richard's fight?
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Mar 30
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#13 The billion pound a year tax scam
Richard Allen comes across a massive tax fraud that makes the Channel Islands loophole look like a tea party. He teams up with two more retailers whose businesses are being destroyed by it and they starts to apply pressure to the tax authorities, HMRC, who seem reluctant to take on big online market players Amazon and eBay.
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Mar 20
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#12 The Francovich Claim
A lawyer from a swanky law firm helps Richard (pro bono) to sue HMRC, the UK tax authority for damages due to their slowness to act against the Channel Islands tax loophole and shut it down, resulting in the loss of his business. Then Brexit happens.
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Mar 13
2026
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#11 In the High Court
Richard Allen's fight goes all the way to the High Court and he's armed with two top barristers Valentina Sloane and Christopher Vajda, up against the Channel Islands and the UK's historic, unspoken hands-off approach to their tax abuse schemes.
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Mar 6
2026
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#10 RAVAS: Retailers Against VAT Abuse Schemes
Richard has a breakthrough in his campaign against the Channel Islands tax loophole, saving the UK  hundreds of millions of pounds a year in dodged taxes. But then his story takes a new twist...
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Feb 27
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#9 The European Commission
Richard realises he can't keep his business going any more, he gets 'lawyered up' and discovers that the European Commission is up for fighting against the UK.
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