Quite apart from this week’s admission by First Minister, Alex Salmond, that he has been arguing with HM Revenue and Customs to “for goodness sake get a settlement” with Rangers, I continue to receive reliable assurances that HMRC are coming under pressure from all political angles to effectively offer state aid to Rangers FC PLC (in administration).
In short, if HMRC acquiesce, Rangers will have their debt zeroed and will be out of administration with only their 10 point penalty to show for years of financial doping.
Fifa guidelines explicitly prevent governments from interfering in football. State aid to any one club is about as explicit a contravention of Fifa rules as there can be. This jeopardises the places of Scottish clubs in next season’s European competitions and could lead to the Scotland national team being banned from the World Cup qualifying group, due to start later this year.
It is the SFA’s job to insist that all state intervention in football stops immediately. I urge you to write to the SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, stewart.regan@scottishfa.co.uk
Celtic have an excellent chance of Champions League football next season and we don’t want politicians of any colour getting Scottish teams banned from international competition. The silence of the SFA on the subject, despite extensive media coverage, is very disconcerting.
It’s time for you to play your part in these important times.
Fancy writing something for CQN Magazine? Drop me an email and let me know what you would like to write about before you get started, just in case someone else has the same angle covered: celticquicknews@gmail.com.
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hello guy’s long time lurker, love this site.
Rankers pub name
The Samaritans
Summa of Sammi…. says:
17 February, 2012 at 13:04
That’s going to make things interesting.
Rieperman says:
That audio from SSB is on the 16th matey, I downloaded it and I’ve just listened to it via iTunes on iPhone.
for those composing emails, this might be helpful as an example of what should happen should the state intervene in football
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/9060018.stm
Rangers Bars
The Salmon Leap
The Calderwood Inn
The Westwood Bar
The Moustache My Father Wore
Put it this way, if this happens every single club in Scotland, us included, should hide any money they’ve got, go into admin (we’d still win the title without the 10 points), tell HMRC we cant pay them and we’d like the same deal Rangers got. See how they like them apples. Every club in Scotland could be debt free in a couple of weeks.
OCTOPUS PRESS STATEMENT ON TICKETUS
17 February 2012
Octopus Investments would like to clarify the position of Ticketus with regard to the current Glasgow Rangers coverage.
Ticketus is one of the many entities into which Octopus Protected EIS invests. Ticketus has purchased tickets for Glasgow Rangers games for a number of seasons in advance, as it has done for a number of years previously with the club.
Ticketus does not lend money; Ticketus is the owner of assets – the tickets. Octopus is continuing to work with the administrators and Glasgow Rangers on this matter.
Summa
E-mails sent!
Interesting.
I suggested yesterday that HMRC settling for anything less than they are owed would amount to state aid.
The SFA, UEFA and FIFA should all be asked to whether such a proposal contravenes their rules.
Before it goes any further.
Rieperman
That is an absolutely brilliant point.
The EPL would never stand for it and Portsmouth going into Administration means that a legal precedent has already been set – they cannot give Rangers a free pass for this.
But all this begs the bigger question:
If Rangers’ legal advisers told them they’d win the big tax case why should HMRC need to do ANYTHING if they are going to lose?
My hunch is that Rangers know they are going to lose and all these actions are the preemptive strike.
If this were to happen I bet you any money you want the Celtic away support would still not boycott away games especially at Ibrox
Hail Hail
Summa of Sammi…. says at 13:04
. Your thoughts on this Paul67
“@NCCMick: HMRC are going to court for the removal of Duff&Phelps as administrators after D&P post link on there website about e-petition to save huns”
Summa
Although it may have been removed, I can’t see any reference to an e-petition on D&P’s website (http://www.mcr.uk.com/press-and-news.html).
Anyway, back to the serious buisness of Rongers Pub Names:
The Busted Flush
FF
I have obliged by registering my concern with UEFA. Thanks for the continued guidance and information on this matter.
How’s about our own club doing something radical? Perhaps a statement on sporting integrity? Perhaps withdrawal from the competion on these grounds? There is something really nasty going down here, we need to be on our guard.
BTW Despite notifying the BBC, they continue to credit Rangers with 61 points on their site. That says a lot.
lynott67
Wiggy is small fry, trust me on that, it’s the faceless ones who we should be worried about.
Paul67 – I continue to receive reliable assurances that HMRC are coming under pressure from all political angles to effectively offer state aid to Rangers FC PLC (in administration).
I can’t see HMRC being moved by such political opportunism. Salmond has no power over them and David Cameron’s words yesterday were exactly the sort of empty rhetoric you’d expect from him. The huns have no friends in the Coalition or at senior levels within the civil service.
Even if HMRC was minded to cut them a soft deal, which they most likely aren’t, if Rangers owe £75m in taxes I can’t see HMRC being able to offer any settlement that would allow the huns to stay in business. Their debts are just too crushing and it appears this is why Craig Whyte engineered the most recent £9m debt to facilitate liquidation.
As things stand, Rangers are going out of business.
It’s all over bar the special pleading and aggressive begging.
BTW I am grateful to The Scotsman for illustrating the bewildered, permanently raging face of that club.
(thumbsup)
Rangers pub:
Rob***g Ba****ds
just fired this off to Regan and Platini – very good point Paul67
Dear Sir,
As you will be aware, Scottish football is currently dealing with the news that Glasgow Rangers FC have recently gone into administration, owing £9m in taxes immediately, and being involved in a court case which may lead to them owing over £50m in taxes.
This week has seen politicians at the highest level, including Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, ‘encourge’ Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs to effectively come to a settlement to allow the club to come out of administration.
As per FIFA guidelines, I believe that this kind of public statement and involvement from politicians effectively amounts to political and state interference in football, which as you will know is explicitly forbidden by FIFA itself.
Whilst I have no wish to see any football club disappear due to financial troubles, I am alarmed that several politicians appear to be trying to influence the dealings of tax-collecting authorities in their dealings with a specific club, and believe that political interference such as this sets an extremely dangerous precedent for the involvement of politics in football.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this, and hope that you see fit to investigate and keep a close eye on this potentially damaging situation.
Regards
Rangers Pub Names:
The Flush and Floaters
Paul
I can’t see how ‘state aid to Rangers FC PLC (in administration)’ could work.
If Rangers FC PLC (in administration) got it, there would never be a better time for all debt-laden clubs to throw in the towel and form an orderly queue outside HMRC offices …
FF
I’m sure Hearts will be very pleased with this proposal and no doubt Peter Lawwell is already instructing Celtic’s accountants to start witholding PAYE, NIC and VAT in order to build a stronger team. Ridiculous.
Meanwhile, I wonder what Penn and Teller are discovering over Ibrox way today?
.
Len Brennan..
It was posted on Twitter about 50 mins ago I am trying to Verify it.. Checked some of the Posters other post and Seems to be genuine..
Asked same Question.. Waiting for Answer..
Will post here soon as..
Summa
Good thought-provoking article again.
If Salmond is seen to put further pressure on HMRC as he seems to have admitted doing in the past it doesn’t seem to have worked very well as evidenced by HMRC attempting to have their people appointed as administrators.
But who’s to say that Salmond thinks that further pressure resulting in him being seen as Rangers’ saviour would be a very good move….and a vote-winner.
I don’t think it would be but then I don’t think his ideas on the sectarian crimes legislation was a good idea either…………………but he pressed on with that.
Interesting times indeed.
What are the odds for tomorrow’s game at Ibrox? I fancy Killie to take a point.
More interestingly what are the odds on MBB being at the match?
Paul 67 I think you are worrying needlesly as HMRC must alwaysl be impartial they cannot go easy on an individual or a club if they say deal with Rangers in a preferential way Portsmouth for example could then take them to court saying they had set a precedent.The tax Law in the U.K. is pretty detailed and HMRC will follow it to the letter I have no concerns about HMRC fudgeing the Rangers case.I would be concerned about the powers that be in Scottish football bending over backwords to favour Rangers or a Newco that imo is where we have to watch and challenge when required.H.H.
Bhoy_Molloy says:
17 February, 2012 at 13:18
I can see all this playing into Celtics hand with regards to getting out of the SPL to the EPL. ;)
share
That imho is what we should be playing for , if any help is afforded to them , then we have no future playing in this country . we are finished, we must fight this .
Paul,
just to clarify – the Ticketus company referred to in various posts are NOT the same company that the Rankers deal is with. A related company, but not the same.
However –
Phil Betts, a former Rankers director under GEF, who jumped ship before the iceberg hit, is also the owner of a company called Primary Asset Finance, a corporate recovery group.
This company has close links to a London-based group called Close Brothers, whose non-executive director Ray Greenshields is also the chairman of Octopus VCT 3. Octopus are the company who own Ticketus, who of course own 100,000 Rankers season books??!!
So Close – who own the catering rights at Ibrox and have a higher ranking security over Rankers than GEF, share executives with Octopus? Curiouser and curiouser.
Hail! Hail!
DavieL
Paul67:
I know you’re being sincere but what you say is beyond comprehension. The government, the police, the courts, any moral mind, none of them can allow feral politicians to prostitute the Crown and the Laws of the land.
Cromwell is dead, isn’t he.
Now, I cannot see HMRC letting them off ‘scot’ free. However I have sent my letters and would also like it to be known that I as a Celtic supporter, while never ever abandoning Celtic (I would watch them in the Juniors if it came to it) it really ought to be made known that never ever again should any Celtic supporter set foot in any ground of any club who did not pay their bills in full, who did not support robust action against rangers and never ever set foot in Hampden ever again for any match which would contribute to the SFA’s coffers.
Still pretty sure they are getting the liquidiser though.
Exiled Tim
Correct the Wigfield Smith’s right to up to the Lord Cullen’s of this world
and everyone in between will be doing their bit by the look of it.
It just worries me a lot Paul67 headliner.
philvisreturns says:
17 February, 2012 at 13:26
Paul67 – I continue to receive reliable assurances that HMRC are coming under pressure from all political angles to effectively offer state aid to Rangers FC PLC (in administration).
I can’t see HMRC being moved by such political opportunism. Salmond has no power over them and David Cameron’s words yesterday were exactly the sort of empty rhetoric you’d expect from him. The huns have no friends in the Coalition or at senior levels within the civil service.
Even if HMRC was minded to cut them a soft deal, which they most likely aren’t, if Rangers owe £75m in taxes I can’t see HMRC being able to offer any settlement that would allow the huns to stay in business. Their debts are just too crushing and it appears this is why Craig Whyte engineered the most recent £9m debt to facilitate liquidation.
As things stand, Rangers are going out of business.
It’s all over bar the special pleading and aggressive begging.
——————————————————-
For once we agree!
State Aid: Getting it wrong
The European Commission allows State aid in specific circumstances; for example to promote Community investment in research and development, environmental protection and investment in training. However, in general, it considers State aid to be incompatible with the common market and to have a damaging effect on competition and trade across the Community area. Consequently, the Commission takes a serious view of aid provided without its approval and a particularly serious view of aid given in contravention of the State aid rules.
In these circumstances, there can be serious repercussions:
the aid payment could be halted
the recipient could be required to repay the aid, plus interest
aggrieved competitors may also seek legal action for damages
the Commission could commence infringement procedures against the member state, possibly resulting in a fine
In recent years the Commission has given increasing priority to applying state aid rules more rigorously.
It is therefore extremely important to establish whether your project or policy proposal constitutes State aid and , if so, how they be taken forward in compliance with the State aid rules – whether they require notification to the Commission, or do they fit with an existing approved State aid scheme or block exemption.
Own Gaol for Salmond/Cameron
Portsmouth don’t get to appoint their preferred administrator, HMRC do.
Reason, conflict of interest, one of the administrators Pompey wanted has links with one of the creditors.
Sound familiar?
Paul67
Despite what Salmond thinks isnt this still the UK? If the huns are bailed out then isnt wiping the cheating huns debt a UK govt bailout and FIFA could end up banning England as well as Scotland, Norn Irn and Wales? Have I missed something?
There is a far simpler and less time consuming way to make sure
The rotten mob don’t get all their own way.
Sign the bloody petition, 100000 signatures gets the subject discussed
In the UK parliament
T4
Quick synopsis:
In the period 1997 to 2011, Rangers traded to a cumulative loss of £168 Million. That is, Rangers spent £168M more than it earned in revenue.
NB In the period 1988-1996, Rangers traded to a cumulative profit of £695K – essentially break even.
The use of the EBT tax scheme saved a further £45M of payroll costs in the period 2000-2011.
The smaller DOS tax scheme saved another £2M in the period 1999-2002.
Since the sale of the club in May 2011, Rangers have run up £9M of current year arrears for VAT and Payroll taxes, used to support the business’ operating costs that the current owner refuses to fund.
Of the £168M lost over the period of David Murray’s ownership, ENIC provided £40M, Dave King £20M, and NTL’s abortive media deal £15M. Craig Whyte’s arrangement with Ticketus settled £18M.
The remaining £75M sits as legacy debt on the balance sheet of the collapsed MIH, and is owed to Bank of Scotland, now Lloyds Banking Group following the collapse of BoS.
Given that LBG is 43% owned by the UK state, one might suggest that 43% of this debt, £32M, is owed to the state as legacy for BoS supporting Rangers’ financially through a period of corporate recklessness.
Taken together with current tax arrears – £9M and growing – and liabilities to historic tax evasion, including penalties and interest – £49M and £4M – Rangers total debt to the public purse of the United Kingdom currently stands at £94 Million before we factor such items as Business Rates and Policing charges and other unknown liabilities.
TBB
Celtic (and other clubs) accountants must start preparing their tax rebate papers for the past decade since it’s now coming to light that maybe football clubs (or is it just institutions?) are not really liable for tax in the same way as the rest of the country’s businesses and workers.
Im a laid back guy by nature but that has made my blood boil. We must more than match their efforts , we must up the ante. 2 letters just sent
Roddybhoy
philvisreturns says:
17 February, 2012 at 13:26
You should have a warning with that web-link
Duff & Phelps
http://www.mcr.uk.com/rangers-football-club-plc-latest-position.html
THE RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB PLC : LATEST POSITION
Current Position
The directors of The Rangers Football Club plc (“the Company” or “the Club”) have filed a Notice of Intention to appoint an Administrator with the Court of Session. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company is not currently in Administration.
Who to contact
– Media/Press queries should be directed to the Club press office on 0141 580 8791
– Ticket and general supporter queries should still be directed to the Club ticket office or Press office.
– Supplier and creditor queries should still be directed to the Club accounts department.
– Shareholder queries should be directed to the Club press office as above.