Street vendor found guilty of Dh4.2 million tax evasion

Japan - She did not declare her earnings from 2014 to 2016.

A 72-year-old street food vendor in Japan was sentenced to a one-year jail term and a fine of 26 million yen for evading 130 million yen in income tax.
 Tatsuko Utsunomiya opened a food stand several decades ago near Osaka Castle, a popular tourist spot, and served 'takoyaki' octopus batter balls. Her stand thrived on increasing foreign visitors and sales totalled around 240 million yen in 2016. 
Utsunomiya was indicted in July and the stand voluntarily suspended its operation indefinitely in August. The Osaka District Court in western Japan sentenced Utsunomiya to a year in prison and a fine of 26 million yen for not declaring about 330 million yen she earned from 2014 to 2016 as taxable income. 
According to the ruling, Utsunomiya admitted to the accusation but claimed she was not familiar with the procedure for filing income tax returns. Presiding Judge, Keisuke Masuda said, "The consequences of evading a large amount of income tax are serious," adding that Utsunomiya should have sought the advice of tax offices or experts. 
However, the judge said the elderly food stand owner's jail term was suspended as she already paid a penalty for failing to file her taxes and showed remorse. Utsunomiya's defense counsel sought leniency, insisting she was no longer operating the stand and had already "faced severe social punishment", according to ABS CBN reports.