Jeremy Vine has been funnelling cash through a limited company , Jelly Vine Productions , of which his daughter , Martha , is a shareholder ( both pictured ) In a tongue-in-cheek guide to ‘ tax accounting for the rich ’ , Jeremy Vine once advised the wealthy to find a ‘ tax magician with the power to bend the rules , befuddle the tax inspector and make money invisible ’ . Now it seems that the BBC Radio 2 star has taken his own advice to heart . Mr Vine appears to have been using his ten-year-old daughter Martha to avoid tax payments . The presenter of the Jeremy Vine Show and the TV quiz Eggheads , has been funnelling cash through a limited company , Jelly Vine Productions , of which she is a shareholder . The controversial move will highlight the BBC ’ s practice of paying some presenters off its books using money from the millions of pounds it earns in licence fee-payers ’ money . In 2012 , it emerged that more than 140 BBC stars were funnelling cash through private firms to avoid paying millions in tax . During the resulting furore , Mr Vine ran a spoof , ‘ Jeremy ’ s six-step guide to tax avoidance for the rich ’ , on his radio show . Jelly Vine Productions had almost £810,000 in cash on its books in 2013 – the last accounts available , and £1million in 2012 . If the funds had been paid to Mr Vine through the Pay As You Earn scheme used by most firms , it would have been taxed at 40 or 45 per cent . But by channelling them through a private firm , he can declare them as company profits , subject to corporation tax of 23 or 24 per cent . It is not clear whether these were earnings for Mr Vine ’ s BBC work or included other fees such as payments for speeches or book royalties . But by arranging his finances in this way , he ensured Jelly Vine Productions could pay dividends to its shareholders . The firm is controlled by Mr Vine , who has 51 per cent of the shares . His wife , Rachel , has 30 per cent and the remaining 19 per cent is owned by Martha , one of their two daughters . Richard Murphy , an accountant at Tax Research , said : ‘ He is obviously using the company to reduce his tax bill . It is perfectly legal , and perfectly allowed . Jelly Vine Productions had almost £810,000 in cash on its books in 2013 – the last accounts available . 'What is a little unusual is his daughter . Let ’ s be honest , she is unlikely to have said , “ Daddy , I want to spend my pocket money on shares in the company ” . ’ Jelly Vine Productions ’ accounts do not disclose how much it has paid out or whether it has paid dividends to all three family members , or just Mr Vine himself . Mr Murphy said Mr Vine could have named his daughter as a shareholder for ‘ long-term tax-planning ’ purposes , reducing the tax she would pay if she inherits part of the business . Alternatively , Mr Vine may have made his wife and daughter shareholders to split the dividend payouts , keeping them just small enough to ensure they are taxed at a lower rate , rather than at 40 or 45 per cent . A spokesman for the presenter said the reason for making his daughter a shareholder was ‘ private ’ but ‘ perfectly legal ’ , adding : ‘ I don ’ t think it is cynical . What Jeremy is doing is very common . If the Government makes laws that allow people to do things that are advantageous , it is up to the Government to change the laws. ’ BBC contracts stipulate that presenters must pay the taxes they owe , and tells HMRC who it has paid each year . A spokesman said it would not comment on Mr Vine ’ s arrangements , adding : ‘ It is the responsibility of self-employed individuals to ensure they are paying the correct amount of tax . ’
Jelly Vine Productions 's Jeremy Vine appears to have used daughter to avoid tax payments . Daughter Martha , aged 10 , is shareholder in BBC . The presenter has been funnelling cash through the limited company . Controversial move highlights Jelly Vine Productions practice of paying some presenters off the books using money from millions in earns in licence fee money .