HMRC have served notice of the tax demands owed by dozens of Rangers (IL) stars through the failed EBT scheme operated by the club.
According to Phil MacGiollabhain letters have been delivered to stars such as Neil McCann, Alex McLeish, Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae and Steven Thompson detailing how Her Majesty will go about recovering Income Tax and National Insurance plus interest and penalties.
Included in the dreaded brown envelopes are Advanced Payment Notices which allows the individual to put their funds into an escrow account pending any appeal.
HMRC have been on the case for over a decade with details of the side letters emerging in July 2007 when Ibrox was raided under warrant from the Metropolitan Police searching other matters.
Details of the contracts for Tore Andre Flo and Ronald de Boer created the wee tax case which the club eventually plead guilty to although the £2.8m charge was unpaid when the liquidation of the club began.
The Supreme Court finally vindicated Her Majesty in July of this year with the individuals now unable to hide behind letters signed by a club in liquidation.
As well as using an illegal method to recruit players and cheat clubs in Scotland and Europe Rangers (IL) didn’t disclose full details of player payments to the football authorities.
When he rejoined Rangers in 2006 from Blackburn Rovers Barry Ferguson’s contract was only for £8,000/week with £2.6m paid into an EBT over the course of his contract.
Ferguson declared himself bankrupt earlier this year with assets of only £3,000 but is now likely to have a tax demand equal to the sum of his ‘EBT’.
