Martin Clunes tries to claim secret plastic surgery as a professional tax expense

Actor Martin Clunes has hit the headlines after trying to claim cosmetic surgery as a professional tax expense.

The Men Behaving Badly star asked for the cost of his surgery to be off-set against his income tax, claiming it was “a legitimate professional expense”.

Clunes also requested that the tax tribunal judge grant him anonymity to spare him from “public embarrassment” as a result of revelations that he had gone under the knife.

Lawyers for HMRC argued that Clunes should be subject to the same treatment as ordinary taxpayers who were not in the public eye and would have no hope of appealing a decision anonymously. Judge Colin Bishopp denied the appeal, stating that it would be necessary to identify the actor so that the case could be properly understood by the public. The tribunal will determine whether the treatment was necessary or a “vain indulgence”