British businessman hid £140,000 in his aunt's grave in tax-evasion scam

But his ruse was uncovered by tax-inspectors who obtained permission to dig up the grave from the parish priest following a tip-off.

The cash was discovered and the Inland Revenue recovered its £50,000 share.

The elaborate tax-dodge was disclosed by Dave Harnett, Permanent Secretary for Tax, who said investigators are getting better at catching “greedy” cheats.

“Tax evasion isn’t a victimless crime. We all pay extra to compensate for the money cheats steal from the country,” he told The Sun.