Take That STILL owe up to £20MILLION from tax scheme while Gabby Logan has paid hers back
The trio have NOT appealed against a tax tribunal ruling from last May that the Icebreaker scheme they poured millions into was designed to exploit legal loopholes
TV sports presenter Gabby Logan has kept her promise to pay back all the money she owed from a controversial “tax shelter” scheme.
Yet almost a year after everyone involved was ordered to do the same, the payment from Gary Barlow and Take That bandmates Howard Donald and Mark Owen is still outstanding – to the tune of up to £20million.
The chart-topping trio have NOT appealed against a tax tribunal ruling from last May that the Icebreaker scheme they poured millions into was designed to exploit legal loopholes.
But a storm is brewing after it emerged it could be two more years before they pay the bill – while five other partnerships in the £340million scheme appeal.
Although the band have said they are keen to pay up, they are said to be waiting for the dust to settle first on the legal wrangling.
Yet we can disclose that their position is at odds with dozens of other clients caught up in the scheme, including Gabby, who have chosen to pay the Treasury everything they owe.
TV sports presenter Gabby Logan has kept her promise to pay back all the money she owed from a controversial “tax shelter” scheme.
Yet almost a year after everyone involved was ordered to do the same, the payment from Gary Barlow and Take That bandmates Howard Donald and Mark Owen is still outstanding – to the tune of up to £20million.
The chart-topping trio have NOT appealed against a tax tribunal ruling from last May that the Icebreaker scheme they poured millions into was designed to exploit legal loopholes.
But a storm is brewing after it emerged it could be two more years before they pay the bill – while five other partnerships in the £340million scheme appeal.
Although the band have said they are keen to pay up, they are said to be waiting for the dust to settle first on the legal wrangling.
Yet we can disclose that their position is at odds with dozens of other clients caught up in the scheme, including Gabby, who have chosen to pay the Treasury everything they owe.
In a message to fans on Twitter last September, Barlow insisted: “I want to apologise to anyone who was offended by the tax stories earlier this year.
“With a new team of ¬accountants we are working to settle things with all parties involved ASAP.”
A source close to the band, who begin a UK tour next week, insisted they still wanted to settle “asap” – admitting the system, which has cost the economy billions, is flawed.
David Cameron has pledged to claw back £5billion from tax ¬avoiders, and even used a Take That lyric in Prime Minister’s Questions to tell Tory-supporting Barlow: “We want your money
back for good”.
Nick Smith, Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent who sits on the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Tax avoiders who use loopholes and small armies of accountants offshore to evade tax should put their house in order.
“We support hard workers not tax shirkers. HMRC need to chase up companies and individuals to pay their fair share.”
The band were among 1,000 investors to shelter millions from tax using the scheme.
Icebreaker used investment in the music industry to gain tax reliefs meant to boost the UK’s creative industries.
Money poured into the scheme did not attract income tax – while losses from the investment could be offset against tax on their main earnings.
One Icebreaker group, named Sparkdale, claimed losses of £9,399,878.
But Judge Colin Bishopp ruled Icebreaker was ¬primarily for tax avoidance, not investments. Officials from Icebreaker have always maintained the initiative was funding music.
They told the tribunal they had funded a number of artists, from complete unknowns to high-profile names such as Sinead O’Connor.
And they warned the ruling “put funding for the UK’s independent music industry in jeopardy.”
Many investors in Icebreaker have claimed they knew nothing about the workings of the scheme, or that it broke tax rules.
An HMRC crackdown sparked by the ruling saw more than 7,000 repayment notices sent out, with a value of £1.6billion.
Sources close to Gary , Mark and Howard said the group had “pushed forward” the process of resolving their bill ahead of its due date, but declined to comment on the stage of the discussions.
There is no suggestion Robbie Williams or Jason Orange took part.
HMRC said: “We pursue all tax avoidance vigorously.”
