Former Rangers owner David Murray has claimed that HMRC are making an example of the Ibrox club.
Following a three day hearing in January the result of a First Tier Tribunal are expected in the next six weeks with HMRC looking to serve a bill for £49m.
Snubbing his favoured Scottish channels the former Ibrox owner gave his first broadcast interview in over a year to Rangers shareholder Jeff Randall of Sky News.
While accusing HMRC of wanting a high profile case the former Rangers chief freely admitted that players benefited from non-contractual, discretionary payments using EBT’s.
The SPL are currently investigating whether players had secondary contracts with Rangers but the admission of discretionary payments will cause further alarm.
Under SFA rules all payments to players must be detailed through one contract. The use of discretionary payments are as illegal as secondary contracts.
“They are trying to sweep up as much tax as possible,” Murray claimed. “We have our QC whose opinion is that we have a strong case.
“This has not just happened overnight Jeff, this has been going on for 10 years.
“What I find concerning, and I have to be aware of sub-judice, I have to watch what I’m saying here, is that Rangers have come under the spotlight more than anyone.
“I think they wanted a high profile case. It’s not quite the same if it’s a concrete company in Crewe or something- they want a high profile case and we’ve fought this vehemently because we don’t think, through our advise, that we’ve done as wrong as they say we have.”
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Explaining the working of the Employee Benefit Trust scheme in more detail Murray added: “We believe that we had a legitimate scheme, we never hid the fact and we believe that it was set up it was non-contractual, it was discretionary so we believe that we have worked the rules.
“I think that you’ll find that there are many lawyers, accountants, bankers many architects, many surveyors, many financial companies that are running similar schemes and are watching for the outcome of this.”
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Murray…tosser of the highest order
One other thing Minty, just wait till the law has a wee look at you!
He says “They are trying to sweep up as much tax as possible”
Of course they are David you donkey!! They are OWED it by rangers!! Why wouldn’t they want to get all of it!!! Utter disgrace.
I tell you what, if I owed the tax man £49 and refused to pay it, rest assured there would be men round banging at my door looking every penny. So why wouldn’t they want all of the £49m?!
‘We’ve worked the rules’ – what a ‘dignified’ way to do business by our distinguished knight of the realm. Loyal to a fault!
Still trying to push this to big to fail crap through the media along with we are being victimised here.straight out fact if the hmrc failed with this case they would`nt be fit for purpose.
Tax avoidance is against the law and no one or group is above the law.the days of the rich getting richer through offshore accounts while the working middle class pay the bill for the country`s infastructure are over.
If this coalition does`nt know that now they will in the next election.HMRC DO YOUR DUTY COLLECT OUR DUTIES.
There are more sub plots happening at the bigotdome right now, than there is in a Agatha Christe novel.
Now they are trying to shift all the blame on to Whyte as an individiul, it was’nt rankers FC fault, we were duped !!!!
What are the 2 b*llbags from Duff & Phelp’s up too? They can’t even fill in a simple form and submit it to the court.
The white Knight better have £££££ for the up coming court cases against him or will it be rankers in administration, thats the big question.
It wasn’t simply Duff and Phelps who screwed up here. The Honourable Lord Hodge incompetently declared Rangers were in administration without first having sight of said simple form.
I always thought it was tax evasion that was illegal as opposed to tax avoidance (which is what a good accountant is paid to do for you). Granted Murray is pushing a ‘too big to fail’ scenario which simply isn’t true.
The truth is the public purse has been denied substantial funds by Mr. Murray’s ‘creative accountancy’ tactics. I do like the fact that he’s pointing the finger at lawyers, accountants and bankers for running the same racket.
‘If I’m going down you lot are going with me’ seems to be his prevailing mentality. Good! We could be doing with a clear out of the dross.
HMRC wants a high profile case does it Minty, well that will be news to the other companies that have already had action taken against them by the Taxman for running such schemes, Rangers are not the first in line no matter what their fans and the laptop loyal want to say, they are simple the next in line and now is the time for them to pay their dues.
I own a concrete company in Crewe and I have instructed my lawyers to sue this arrogant buffoon.
How dare he suggest that a Club with 100 year old policy of bigotry …coupled with a zeal to cheat the Tax man of his rightful dues ..means more to the British public than my company.
I have always paid my taxes and NHI
contributions…to try and ensure that any spare money the Revenue has… might go to the troops’ equipment fund …to ensure better protection for our soldiers abroad.
Any business who fails in this has obviously no loyalty.
I think rangers need to pay their dues and move on, although if it is 49 million then that will collapse them.
The league would be boaring without them, me personally would have know motivation to watch us play your dunfermlines, motherwell etc.
I enjoy the old firm games, so let’s be realists guys.
I get what you are saying Sean, bottom line we all have to pay our taxes, there is a big difference between tax evasion, which is illegal, and tax avoidance, which if applied correctly is legal.The new owners who ever they may be, must pay back the full whack to HMRC, not 10p or 1p in the pound.
SPL /SFA must impose the proper penalties and sanctions on the bigotdome, and start asking serious questions, which they and the press, never do, for fear of opening up a whole can of worms, instead of trying to keep a lid on the whole rotten system.
My home team Derry City hosted the Bigotdomes N.Ireland counterparts Linfield last evening, they stoned houses leaving the ground, and the bile that was being shouted throughout the game was shocking.Derry won 3-1
Sean we will never get a bigots who support rangers and linfield to change their mentality.