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…

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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…

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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…

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Creditors Need to be Empowered in Company Voluntary Arrangements

Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVA) can make creditors feel alienated and powerless, so they tend to accept whatever repayment deal is being offered to them. A creditor with little knowledge of their democratic rights will see 30p in the £1 as better than nothing. The majority of creditors are often ill informed, and many think if…

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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…

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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…

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