Supplier of housing for homeless linked to faith group tax avoidance scheme

A property investor who sells temporary accommodation to local councils is part of a family accused of avoiding tax by hosting bogus prayer sessions, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Publicly available records raise questions about the business interests of members of the Schreiber dynasty, who preside over a nationwide commercial property portfolio via a “family-owned” investment vehicle, Midos Group. Companies connected to Midos Group exploited an elaborate scheme to deprive councils of tax, according to a court claim. Meanwhile, a similarly named but apparently separate business – Midos Management Co – tapped some of the same local authorities’ already strained housing budgets by providing accommodation for homeless people, in exchange for fees. Lawyers for Midos Group and a spokesperson for Midos Management Co both claimed that there was no connection between the two entities. But online ancestry records, archived webpages and company filings indicate significant personal and professional overlap between their owners and directors. Campaigners voiced concerns about the apparent links, while an MP leading a cross-parliamentary group on temporary accommodation accused the Schreiber family of “having your cake and eating it”. Allegations of tax avoidance focus on at least two property companies owned by members of the Schreiber family. …