HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published the photos and names of the UK's biggest tax cheats in 2012, according to reports Friday.

The tax authority's gallery includes 32 people who have been sentenced to a combined total of 155 years and 10 months behind bars.

Murugasan Natarajan, a garlic smuggler who was jailed for six years after evading £2m of import duty, was among the people who made the list.

A mug shot of Chaudray Ali was also published. The jeweller was sentenced to nine years after dodging more than £7m VAT by smuggling gold into the UK.

The move was designed to set an example of those who try to dodge taxes as the government invests £994m in an effort to tackle the issue.

The HMRC has been allowed to publish the details of people or companies caught deliberately evading more than £25,000 since new legislation was passed in 2010.

They last year used their power to publish photos of 20 tax fugitives who were accused of £765m of tax evasion and fraud.

The latest name and shame includes people convicted of organising VAT frauds including alcohol smugglers and gangs convicted of setting up illegal cigarette factories in the UK.

RD

Related share prices