Category: HMCTS

HMRC Sent Off in £584k Football Referees Tax Battle

In PGMOL v HMRC [2026] UKFTT 00654 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal determined that National Group football referees engaged by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd were not employees, allowing PGMOL’s appeals against Regulation 80 PAYE determinations and Class 1 NIC decisions worth over £583,000. Our specialist tax dispute solicitors and barristers analyse the multifactorial RMC Stage Three assessment, the significance for employment status disputes, and what this means for HMRC investigations into PAYE and National Insurance.

Sections 235 and 236 Insolvency Act 1986: Directors’ Duties to Co-operate with Liquidators

Sections 235 and 236 of the Insolvency Act 1986 impose powerful duties on company directors, officers, employees, and even third parties to co-operate with insolvency office-holders such as liquidators and administrators. Failure to assist properly during liquidation, administration, or bankruptcy can result in personal sanctions, court orders, fines, and even director disqualification.

Personal Liability Notices (PLNs) Guide 2026: What Directors Need to Know

Personal Liability Notices (PLNs) are a powerful HMRC enforcement mechanism that can make company directors and officers personally liable for unpaid corporate tax debts, including PAYE, National Insurance Contributions, VAT, and CIS. In 2026, PLNs are increasingly used in insolvency and enforcement scenarios, placing directors’ personal assets and professional futures at direct risk.

Digital cityscape at dawn highlighting a modern office building with overlaid financial charts and a glowing path, representing HMRC Time to Pay negotiation and structured tax repayment in 2026.

HMRC Time To Pay Guide 2026: Instalments for Unpaid Tax

A HMRC Time to Pay (TTP) arrangement lets businesses spread unpaid tax over manageable monthly instalments. In 2026, with HMRC enforcement increasing, well-prepared TTP proposals backed by financial evidence help avoid winding-up petitions, protect directors, and keep businesses trading.

Manolete Case Study: Directors Liable for £1.4m Misappropriation and Unlawful Dividends

The High Court ordered the former directors of Evershine Travel Limited (In Liquidation) to repay more than £1.4 million after treating company funds as their own and authorising unlawful dividends while the company faced a £17.58 million deficit to creditors. The case highlights the severe consequences for directors who breach duties owed under the Companies Act 2006 once a company approaches insolvency.

Manolete Case Study: Director Liable for Misapplied Company Funds (Transactions at Undervalue & Preferences)

The High Court ordered Mr Steven Bell to repay substantial sums after causing BSS LED [R&D] Limited to enter into transactions at an undervalue and make preferential payments to connected companies, in breach of directors’ duties under the Companies Act 2006 and the Insolvency Act 1986.