Penalty: Top lawyer Romie Tager QC faces a fine of £1.2million for failing to pay inheritance tax on his father's estate . A leading barrister has been ordered to pay a £1.2million penalty after he failed to pay his father's inheritance tax bill for 10 years after his death. Romie Tager QC, one of the country's top experts in commercial and property law, repeatedly refused to reveal how much his father's estate was worth and did not respond to requests to pay inheritance tax. A judge criticised his 'wholly unacceptable' and 'disgraceful' behaviour towards the tax authorities, adding that he was not 'open and candid about his affairs'. The barrister resigned as head of his chambers for 'personal reasons' shortly before the tax tribunal judgment was made earlier this month. Mr Tager, 67, has practised as a barrister for 45 years, and became a QC in 1995. Until his recent resignation, he was head of Selborne Chambers, based near the Middle Temple in central London. He recently defeated Gordon Ramsay in a High Court dispute over one of the celebrity chef's pubs, and has represented high-profile figures including David Mellor. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs took him to a tribunal last year after it emerged that he had run up enormous bills for unpaid income and inheritance tax. Mr Tager's father Osias died in March 2005 without making a will, the tribunal heard, but an assessment of the size of his estate was not given to HMRC until four years later. Tax officials disputed Mr Tager's estimate of his father's wealth, which was largely contained in shares, and sent Mr Tager a string of letters demanding further information. Despite being hit with non-compliance penalties of more than £30,000, Mr Tager did not give HMRC the information they needed and was taken to the Upper Tribunal in May last year. At that hearing he blamed 'a lack of organisation' for his failure to respond properly, and although Judge Colin Bishopp said the barrister 'commanded little sympathy' he agreed to give him five weeks to comply with HMRC's demands, which he described as a 'last chance' to get his affairs in order. At a second tribunal hearing held in London in October, the judge was told that Mr Tager had still not sent the necessary information to HMRC. Judge Bishopp said that the information he had provided was 'wholly inadequate', adding: 'I have not doubt that Mr Tager must have been aware that it was inadequate.' In his evidence, Mr Tager said that he had earned 'very substantial fees' during his career, added that though he had often filed tax returns late he was keen to fulfil his liabilities. He also said it was difficult to work out the size of his father's estate, as Osias Tager was 'secretive' about money and had much of his wealth tied up in a variety of shareholdings. Work: Mr Tager has recently stepped down as head of Selborne Chambers, pictured, in central London . But the judge said in his ruling that it was 'difficult if not impossible' to understand why Mr Tager did not entrust his tax affairs to an accountant, given that he was 'unwillng or insufficiently skilled' to take care of them himself. He added: 'I regret to say that I am not satisfied that Mr Tager is as keen to be open and candid about his affairs as he would have me believe.' Judge Bishopp also cast doubt on whether the lawyer 'truly was attempting to be co-operative', continuing: 'I am unconvinced that Mr Tager has been as candid as he should be about his late father's affairs'. The judge resolved to impose a penalty on Mr Tager under the terms of the Finance Act 2008, which allows tribunals to impose financial penalties taking into account unpaid tax bills. Mr Tager claimed that the amount of inheritance tax he owed was no more than £75,000, but Judge Bishopp agreed with HMRC that the true figure was at least £1,171,020. The judge ruled that Mr Tager should pay a penalty totalling the entire amount of unpaid inheritance tax, along with a separate penalty for unpaid income tax, meaning that the final figure the lawyer owes is £1,246,020. Cases: Mr Tager recently defeated Gordon Ramsay, left, at the High Court, and he has also represented David Mellor, right, in a legal dispute . In a scathing judgment delivered earlier this month, he said that Mr Tager had done 'too little too late' to resolve the case, and had 'repeatedly and persistently fobbed HMRC off'. He added: 'His earlier conduct as I have described it was, not to mince words, disgraceful.' The judge concluded: 'His conduct... can only be regarded as contemptuous; and his reckless offer of undertakings to this tribunal, followed by his, as I perceive it, insouciant attitude to his non-compliance, are of a similar character.' Judge Bishopp also remarked that 'if all taxpayers behaved as Mr Tager has done the administration of tax would become impossible.' The barrister plans to appeal against the ruling, but in the meantime he must pay the £1.25million penalty within a few weeks. If HMRC succeeds in obtaining a full record of his late father's estate, Mr Tager could face a further hefty tax bill, as the penalty imposed by the tribunal does not cancel out tax liabilities. The total size of his father's estate is not known, but if the inheritance tax assessment of £1.17million is correct then it is likely to be worth at least £3.4million. Charity: David Cameron opened the Tager Centre, an autism treatment centre in Berkshire funded by Mr Tager's family, in June 2009 . Mr Tager admitted that he had not acted with 'alacrity and attention' in his personal tax affairs, but denied deliberately hiding information from the authorities. He told MailOnline: 'Throughout my 44 years at the bar I have conducted myself with utter professionalism, commitment and attention to detail. The decision of the tribunal, concerning as it does wholly uncharacteristic behaviour, is therefore a matter of deep personal regret to me. 'I did not act in my tax affairs with the same alacrity and attention as I have conducted myself professionally and I accept that regretfully, I did not comply with the relevant notices in a timely fashion or with the undertaking to the tribunal. 'While I accept that there were delays in providing information to HMRC, there was never any deliberate concealment or intentional withholding of information, and my evidence to HMRC and to the tribunal was honest and truthful. 'I have always been anxious to pay the correct amount of tax, erring on the side of caution in calculating potential tax due and consciously making overpayments if in doubt as to the amount payable.' In February Selborne Chambers announced that Mr Tager was to stand down as head of chambers 'for personal reasons'. It is not known whether or not this decision was related to his tax affairs. Mr Tager recently won a High Court case against Gordon Ramsay on behalf of film director Gary Love, after the celebrity chef claimed his signature had been forged on the lease for the York & Albany pub in north London, which is owned by Mr Love. He also represented ex-MP David Mellor in a dispute over a £1.3million deal to buy an antiques company, and is acting for billionaire tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz in a £2.2billion claim against a group of accountants who allegedly embroiled the businessman in a Serious Fraud Office investigation. A residential home for autistic people which was funded by and named after Mr Tager's family was opened by David Cameron in 2009 in the grounds of the Ravenswood community in Berkshire.
EXCLUSIVE: Romie Tager QC failed to tell authorities the size of father's estate and has not paid inheritance tax 10 years after his father died . Tribunal judge ordered him to pay a penalty of more than £1.2million for failing to provide HMRC with information they requested . Barrister's behaviour was described as 'unacceptable' and 'disgraceful'
He resigned as head of his chambers for 'personal reasons' last month . Denies any wrongdoing and insists he has fulfilled all his tax liabilities . Tager recently defeated Gordon Ramsay in a High Court battle .