LATEST NEWS
Weekly articles on all the important news right here
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…
David’s Cameron’s Insolvency Law U-Turn Will Please Creditors
It remains to be seen why David Cameron has made a u-turn over plans to radically reform insolvency laws. Before coming to power, the Prime Minister called for the introduction of US-style Chapter 11 rules, which would give struggling businesses ‘breathing space’ to get back on their feet without having to face liquidation. At the…
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…
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…
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…
Miss Sixty Judge Calls for Improved Insolvency Practitioner Regulation
In July, I suggested there should be an urgent review of how insolvency practitioners (IPs) are regulated and following a high-profile complaint by a judge it has become evident there are many others who share this opinion. Earlier this month, during an appeal against a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) for Sixty UK – owners of…
Portsmouth Defeat HMRC in Landmark Legal Case
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the reason most football clubs are facing financial difficulties is simple: their expenses exceed their income. Portsmouth FC are no exception and currently facing an uphill struggle to remain solvent. However, their battle became a little easier earlier this month after a high court judge rejected claims by…
Rise in businesses surviving the recession? Load of rubbish!
The British Government is perhaps one of the biggest costs to UK plc. During the 2007 bank bailout, Her Majesty’s Treasury turned the banks’ private debt into a public liability. Suddenly, billions of pounds went from private to public ownership as the banks’ debt was transferred into the Government’s account. The Treasury is owned by…
What is an Insolvency Practitioner?
An insolvency practitioner (IP) has several roles and under the Insolvency Act 1986 can act as a liquidator, administrator, nominee and supervisor in matters relating to bankruptcy. They are authorised by the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) or one of the other bodies recognised under the Insolvency Act.…
How Do You Protect Yourself as a Director When Your Company Has Been Liquidated?
After a company is liquidated either through a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) or compulsorily winding up by the court, the actions of the directors during the previous 12 months usually come under careful scrutiny. If the liquidator (or official receiver) believes the director(s) in question did not act in accordance with their duties, they can…