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Despite the moon howling the Big Tax Case didn’t kill Rangers- it was still five years away

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The airwaves and social media today have been suffocated in revisionism about the events of 2011/12, deftly deflecting attention away from the current crisis facing the club from Ibrox.

Since The Times decided to dig out the June report from BDO into the on-going liquidation of the old club all sorts of moon howling theories have been given credibility.

With the club being liquidated the attention of HMRC has turned to the individuals with one report claiming that interest and penalties will be removed from the tax demands issued to Barry Ferguson, Neil McCann, Kris Boyd, Alex Rae and the others who enjoyed the benefits of disguised remuneration.

The truth of 2012 has been lost.

Despite the mountains of evidence every regime at Ibrox was in denial about the so-called Big Tax Case. Dave Murray disputed it; new owner Craig Whyte denied it. The club had taken legal advice when implementing the programme of disguised remuneration, they were taking legal advice on contesting the matter. At no stage did they admit their liability.

Nothing had been determined when Murray sold to Whyte. Nothing had been decided when the club went into administration followed four months later by the death knell of liquidation.

What the Murray regime did do was obstruct HMRC at every turn. They claimed that the payments were discretionary but when the Metropolitan Police ordered Police Scotland to take away club computers in 2007 in an unrelated investigation the paperwork emerged.

The club disputed the facts at every turn. Eventually the Wee Tax Case (de Boer and Flo) came in at £2.8m but rather than pay up the club spent money on Nikica Jelavic, James Beattie, Lee Wallace and others. Obtaining football success was put before paying Her Majesty.

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By September 2011 the club stopped paying Income Tax and National Insurance that was allegedly deducted from salaries. European defeats to Malmo and Maribor had a devastating impact on cash projections.

After five months of non-payment HMRC made their move to put the club into administration, Whyte managed to get his own administrators in the door first.

While this was on-going the so-called Big Tax Case was still being disputed and contested. Only internet bampots speculated at figures of £50m and upwards.

What prospective buyer would be put off buying Scotland’s establishment club by faceless keyboard warriors? As Murray said this was the second most important institution in the land after the Church of Scotland.

Finally, in July 2017 the Supreme Court in London ruled that the so-called EBT scheme was actually disguised remuneration- liable to Income Tax and National Insurance.

A total of £47m had been paid out through the scheme that turned out to be a scam. The penalties and interest amounts have been debated between two sets of accountants picking up lucrative fees.

When the old club went into administration the Big Tax Case was still five years away from a decision, no wealthy blue-noses were willing to step up and pay.

Over the last 24 hours all sorts of conspiracy theories have been brought back to life, the only thing that won’t be coming back to life is the old club which refused to pay its bills.

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