RANGERS are threatening to take legal action against the taxman over claims details of the club's affairs have been leaked.
The club believes a source at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is responsible for passing on information about its ongoing tax dispute, as well as details of a visit by sheriff officers to Ibrox this week to serve papers.
Club bosses claim there is an anti-Rangers agenda within HMRC, and are considering calling in the police. Sheriff officers served papers at Ibrox on Wednesday giving the club 14 days to pay a £2.8 million tax bill.
However, the club believes information about the visit was passed to a newspaper and fears the publicity could have serious implications. It claims there could be a negative impact on its credit rating and its ability to trade.
A senior club source told The Herald last night: “This is a very serious incident. The matter is in the hands of our lawyers and may well involve the police. Events of last week caused negative headlines over a situation that should have been private.”
He said the club’s new regime was “attempting to address, and rectify, the outstanding issues they have inherited”.
“There has been a feeling for some time that certain individuals at HMRC have an anti-Rangers agenda, and the evidence that has emerged this week only serves to back that up,” he added.
New owner Craig Whyte bought the club from Sir David Murray in May for a nominal £1 and paid off £18m of debt to Lloyds Banking Group. He vowed to spend £25m over five years on players.
The dispute which led to sheriff officers arriving at Ibrox surrounds a £2.8m bill which emerged during Mr Whyte’s due diligence as he worked with Sir David to complete the deal.
Mr Whyte agreed to meet the liability but HMRC has served Rangers notice of a further 65% penalty on top of the original figure – or £1.8m on top of £2.8m. Mr Whyte disputed this, and negotiations are ongoing.
This issue is separate from the club’s ongoing tax case with HMRC, which could leave the club with a tax bill of more than £25m.
An HMRC spokesman said: “HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of any business or individual due to the legal obligations of taxpayer confidentiality.
“HMRC has an outstanding track record supporting those experiencing genuine difficulty paying their debts, and does not initiate legal proceedings lightly.”
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