AN AILING Dundee grandfather has had his disability benefit suspended because the tax man believes he is living a double life as a pub landlord in Ireland.
Philip Lynch lives with his wife, Lynn, in Broughty Ferry, more than 200 miles from Lisnalong in County Monaghan.
But the 51-year-old has seen his employment and support allowance withheld amid suggestions he is running the village pub.
The saga began a year ago with a strongly-worded letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and has ended up with Mr Lynch missing out on his benefit money.
He told The Courier: “This has all been incredibly stressful and I haven’t slept at all this week. I don’t keep well anyway I’m on medication and I’m just out of hospital after having a bowel operation.
“I’m at my wits’ end and I don’t know where to turn.”
The letter that sparked the whole affair came from HMRC and demanded Mr Lynch fill in a business tax return for a pub called Lynch’s in the Republic of Ireland.
Mr Lynch, a grandfather-of-five from Whinny Brae, said: “I thought nothing of it and threw the letter in the bin. About a month later they wrote to me again saying that if I didn’t fill in the return I would be fined £100 per day, which was really concerning.
“They also said the onus was on me to prove that I didn’t own this pub in Ireland. I did that and they said not to worry because it was all sorted.
“But then on December 21 last year, when I went to the post office to collect my employment and support allowance (ESA), there was no money there.
“I called the benefits office, who told me it was because of a change in my circumstances, which I had apparently advised them of.”
Mr Lynch spoke to a member of staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who said his address was listed as Lynch’s pub in Lisnalong.
“I told them I’d had problems with that in the past with HMRC,” said Mr Lynch. “A new file was created for me with the correct details and the ESA payment went through that evening, so I thought that was the end of it.
“But last Friday the money didn’t go in again and I was told by the DWP that my benefits had been suspended once more.”
He added: “The police were here on Monday, but they said it wasn’t a matter for them. I’ve continually been on the phone to HMRC, the DWP and my MP.
“The DWP says HMRC may have put my details into their system incorrectly, but that’s not my fault. I want to know where the information has come from that I own a pub in Ireland.”
Paddy Lynch, the real landlord of Lynch’s pub, was none the wiser when The Courier told him about the saga.
He said: “I don’t know anything about it. I have a property in London, but I pay my taxes here in the Republic of Ireland.”
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie said: “My office has been in contact with HMRC and Jobcentre Plus regarding his complaint and we are in the process of liaising with them to have matters resolved.”
A spokeswoman for the DWP said: “We have ensured Mr Lynch was paid after verifying his address.”
A spokesman for HMRC said the department could not discuss individual cases.
sgillespie@thecourier.co.uk