Corporate Insolvency to Rise in 2011, Despite Xmas Boost

Research carried out by insolvency trade body R3 has found that nearly 50 per cent of UK businesses are currently experiencing falling profits. The new ‘Business Distress Index’ found that 750,000 businesses had seen a reduction in their sales volumes and 32 per cent had experienced a recent fall in market share. Last year, a…

Read More

Winding Up Petitions Increase, But Are They Being Served Correctly?

Winding up petitions issued by creditors against firms based in Central London increased by 39 per cent in October 2010 compared with 10.5 percent in the rest of the country, a new study has revealed. The increase is simply a reflection of the government cutbacks and will probably continue throughout 2011. It’s also evidence that…

Read More

Is the Activroll Case Another Example of HMRC Abusing Their Powers?

It appears that a successful Scotland-based payroll company, which describes itself as one of the country’s fastest growing businesses, has become the latest victim of HMRC’s aggressive collection procedures. Last month, bosses at Activroll, which employs around 100 staff and has offices in the US and Australia, were shocked to discover a public notice in…

Read More

A Winding UP Petition Doesn’t Have to Signal the End of Your Business

The vast majority of winding up petitions heard in British courts over the past 12 months were presented by HMRC and usually relate to VAT, PAYE arrears or failure of a Time to Pay arrangement. However, receiving a winding up petition from HMRC doesn’t necessarily signal the end of your business. Usually, petitions are preceded…

Read More

Take Control of Your Business before Creditors Do

If your business is in financial trouble, the earlier you address the problem, the more doors will be open for you to find a solution. The longer you leave it those doors will begin to close. Prompt action can prevent creditors from losing patience and issuing you with a winding up petition; leaving your business…

Read More

Winding Up Petitions Are the Way Forward for Creditors

In recent years, it has become popular for creditors to issue winding up petitions as a method of debt recovery. It’s something I’d recommend simply because debt recovery laws in the UK are toothless; they don’t bite. If a company owes its creditors money, the creditor will go to county court and get a county…

Read More

How Inland Revenue Use Winding Up Petitions to Collect Tax

I have said before that an increasing number of organisations are using winding up petitions to recover debts, but did you know HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the biggest culprit? According to figures released by the National Audit Office Report earlier this year, the amount of corporation tax, unpaid income and VAT owed to…

Read More

Time To Pay Arrangements Can Do More Harm Than Good

According to the most recent figures available, around 200,000 businesses have entered Time To Pay (TTP) agreements with the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the past 18 months, deferring over £5bn in taxes.   TTP arrangements allow businesses that are unable to pay taxes on their due dates to make monthly payment over a period…

Read More