On 4 June 2020, a draft of The Insolvency Act 1986 (HMRC Debts: Priority on Insolvency) Regulations 2020 was provided to the Public Bill Committee. The Regulations are due to come into force on 1 December 2020.
The draft Regulations set out the debts due to HMRC that will have ‘secondary’ preferential status in insolvencies from 1 December 2020. They are debts in respect of PAYE income tax, employee NICs, construction industry scheme deductions and student loan repayments. VAT debts are to be treated in the same way, though are not covered by these draft Regulations.
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act ("the Act") came into expedited effect on 26 June 2020 and is intended to maximise the chance of corporate survival and reduce the threat of personal liability on directors during this unprecedented economic crisis.
D&O insurers should be clear about one thing: this Act will not help them and in fact it could well make things worse.
The Act
HM Treasury has provided the Public Bill Committee with a draft copy of The Insolvency Act 1986 (HMRC Debts: Priority on Insolvency) Regulations 2020, to be made pursuant to the current clause 96 of the Finance Bill 2020. The draft regulations have not yet been formally laid before Parliament but are d
The government has introduced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill in Parliament, which will put in place a series of measures. This includes temporarily removing the threat of personal The liability for wrongful trading from directors trying to keep their companies afloat through the emergency.
As most global markets attempt a return to normal (or a new form of normal) business, it is hard to imagine a sector or an industry that isn’t already reeling from the effects of the past three months. Getting back on your feet is hard enough in the current environment, without having to worry about further setbacks impacting your business. But how would you react if your key supplier called tomorrow to let you know that they were insolvent and unable to provide you with goods or services?
For some time we have been following with interest the case of Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (in liquidation) v Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Ltd as it progresses through the courts. Why? Because this concerns an important question which comes up time and time again: are the regimes of construction adjudication and insolvency set off compatible?
Part II: Customer Considerations: Risk Mitigation = Smarter Sales
In the coming months, very few companies, whether public or private, will be able to avoid including statements in their quarterly reports or financials that attribute single or double digit percentage declines in revenue to doubtful accounts and insolvencies of major customers caused by the pandemic. For many, if not most, that disclosure will continue beyond Q4 of 2020 and through 2021.
This brief article considers the currently active restructuring markets in Asia and provides examples of where insolvency procedures from outside of Asia come to the rescue or, depending on your side of the table, torment, those trying to implement an orderly restructuring.
Introduction
Reforms to the Corporate Restructuring and INsolvency Framework
Moratorium
The Bill introduces a moratorium for companies during which they will benefit from a ‘payment holiday’ in respect of certain pre-moratorium debts and protection from legal action and security enforcement without the court’s permission.
Further relief for Myanmar hotels - exemption on licence fees and deferment of land lease payments
The hotel and tourism sector in Myanmar and across the globe has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 19 March 2020, Myanmar has closed all land borders with its neighbouring countries and from 31 March 2020 to 15 May 2020, all international commercial passenger flights are banned from landing in Myanmar. As a result, the occupancy in many hotels is currently running low (some in single digits) and certain hotels have temporarily ceased operations.