The previous England and Liverpool footballer John Barnes has been banned as a director after his firm didn’t pay tens of hundreds of kilos in tax, following an investigation by the HM Income’s Insolvency Service.
The investigation revealed that between 2018 and 2020, John Barnes Media – which supplied media illustration providers – didn’t pay greater than £190,000 in company tax and VAT. His ban, which began on Wednesday, prevents him from being concerned within the promotion, formation or administration of an organization, with out the permission of the court docket.
Barnes, whose enterprise was listed as having a Surrey deal with, has signed a disqualification enterprise that bans him from being an organization director for the following three and a half years.
Mike Smith, the chief investigator on the Insolvency Service, mentioned: “John Barnes had a authorized responsibility to make sure his firm paid the right amount of company tax and VAT. As a substitute, it paid no tax by any means between November 2018 and October 2020, regardless of receiving earnings of nicely over £400,000. If you don’t pay your taxes whereas directing cash elsewhere, you might be susceptible to being banned.”
Barnes, who earned 79 England caps throughout a professional playing career spanning almost two decades, fashioned John Barnes Media in September 2012. He was the only director, and the corporate described itself as providing media illustration providers.
Between November 2018 and October 2020, John Barnes Media’s turnover was £441,798. Nothing was paid to HM Income and Customs in tax throughout that interval, regardless of the corporate submitting returns exhibiting what the VAT funds ought to have been.
The Insolvency Service’s investigation confirmed that John Barnes Media didn’t pay £78,839 in company tax between August 2018 and January 2020, when the corporate ceased buying and selling. The corporate additionally didn’t pay £115,272 in VAT between February 2019 and 2020. Insolvency Service investigations into Barnes’ conduct as a director started in September 2023.
