Can a liquidator run an unjust enrichment claim to seek to recover PAYE and NIC liabilities from a company’s directors arising from the company’s use of a “disguised remuneration” employee benefit trust (“EBT”) scheme? Based on the findings of ICC Judge Barber in the case of Re Ethos Solutions Ltd, the answer is “no”.

EBTs: Background

News of HSBC's acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank UK (SVB UK) has brought huge relief to the UK tech community and wider economy – quite possibly the optimal result in the circumstances following the Bank of England's announcement of a likely insolvency procedure on Friday 10 March.

Concern amongst sports aficionados around the financial integrity of the sports industry was raised in late 2022 when rugby union was the latest sport to be dragged into the insolvency conversation. Both Wasps RFC (Wasps) and Worcester RFC (Worcester, and together with Wasps, the Clubs), who can each trace their history back to the mid-19th century, appointed administrators after facing financial difficulties they attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns.

Summary

In the recent Court of Appeal decision Bacci v Green [2022] EWCA Civ 1393 the Court, upholding the decision of the High Court, held that a judgment debtor can be ordered to delegate authority to waive valuable tax protection and draw pension where doing so would enable creditors to extract what they were owed.

The Facts

In 2017, Matthew Green, son of established Mayfair art dealer Richard Green, committed fraud in obtaining loans from FundingSecure.

Where a commercial property is sold by a receiver or insolvency practitioner (IP), VAT must be charged on the sale if the owner had exercised and properly notified an option to tax (OTT) in respect of the property. The IP acting on behalf of the seller needs to establish whether an OTT has been made and notified so that VAT is charged , if needed.  This can be difficult if company records are in disarray, directors of the insolvent company are non-cooperative and/or the IP or receiver has limited knowledge of the property and company.

With an increased number of businesses experiencing financial difficulties given rising inflation, the weaker pound and interest rate increases, debt restructurings are becoming, and are expected to continue to become, more common.

Such restructurings are often achieved by a third-party lender releasing or materially amending all or part of its debt, which would result in taxable income arising to a UK corporate borrower unless a relevant exemption applies.

Nicola Sharp considers the recent appeal decision in Tradition Financial Services Ltd vBilta (UK) Ltd [2023] EWCA Civ, and the ways in which it affects the definition of fraudulent trading.

Introduction - はじめに

2016年破産倒産法は、清算時における債権者の債務弁済を実現する仕組みを提供します。また、有担保債権者は優先的な債権回収が可能です。しかしながら、State Tax Officer v. Rainbow Papers Ltd.（Rainbow Papers Judgement）において、これを覆す判決が下されました。2003 年の Gujarat Value Added Tax Act（GVAT法）に基づいて発生する税金の請求について、政府に有利に設定された「担保権」により、税務当局は法の下の「有担保債権者」である、と判示したのです。再建計画が政府への法定納付金を除外している場合、法規定に準拠しているとは言えず、政府に対する拘束力は持たない、としました。

当該最高裁判所の判決は、破産倒産法の下の法定公課決済の優先順位という側面において、大きな懸念を抱かせるものとなりました。今回の記事では、当該判決が、破産倒産法の本来の目的およびその他の各種判例とどのように対照的であるかについて考察し、解説しています。

Brief facts - 概要

Today’s statistics reveal a stark reality that insolvencies are continuing to climb in the face of record levels inflation, increasing interest rates and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which is pushing businesses to breaking point. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of any new government support for businesses, which are particularly affected by the steep rise in energy costs.

In an emerging market such as Cambodia, the process of exiting the market, such as dissolving a subsidiary and company deregistration, can be difficult to navigate. A notable issue is when a company is registered with the Ministry of Commerce (“”) but that is not reflected on the online MOC official database.