Rangers pay off £250,000 EBT fine after failing to overturn controversial SPFL...

[ian1964 10,596]

...Rangers pay off £250,000 EBT fine after failing to overturn controversial SPFL decision

 

 

09:56, 29 Oct 2016

Updated 10:07, 29 Oct 2016

By Record Reporter

 

IBROX chiefs insisted the club was not liable for the actions of the Oldco company but have agreed to stump up the money after losing their case at an SFA tribunal.

 

RANGERS have revealed they have paid £250,000 to the SPFL to settle a fine imposed upon the Ibrox Oldco.

 

The Light Blues issued their annual accounts yesterday and buried in the detail was the admission that the club had finally been forced to cough up the cash to the SPFL.

 

The SPFL – which was formed in 2013 – is the successor to the SPL. The League body – led by cheif executive Neil Doncaster – claimed it was was due the cash as part of the deal brokered by the SFA after Rangers were liquidated in 2012.

 

The newco company that was formed by Charles Green that year agreed it would be liable for any footballing sanctions imposed by the SPL in relation to the activities of the oldco club.

 

In February 2013 an independent SPL commission set up to probe the use of EBTs at Ibrox fined the Oldco £250,000.

 

The EBT scheme has been ruled to be an illegal tax avoidance mechanism although the case has now been appealed to the UK’s Supreme Court.

 

Lord Nimmo Smith – who chaired the SPL probe – focused on the club’s use of undisclosed side letters to players about their EBT payments rather than the legality of the payments themselves and decided that Rangers had breached the rules by not disclosing the payments to the SFA.

 

Crucially he also has judged that Rangers did not gain an unfair sporting advantage from their use of EBTs which saw players at Ibrox receive tax free payments of £9m in one season alone.

 

Rangers therefore avoided the most severe sanction of losing up to five SPL titles won during the period investigated from 2000 to 2011.

 

The commission decided Rangers had gained no sporting advantage and stopped short of stripping the club of titles and it appeared the issue was over as the fine was levied on a liquidated company.

 

At the time the commission stated: "Although we are well aware that, as Oldco is in liquidation, in practice any fine is likely to be substantially irrecoverable and to the extent that it is recovered the cost will be borne by the creditors of Oldco, we nevertheless think it essential to mark the seriousness of the contraventions with a large financial penalty."

 

Rangers always maintained that the liability for the football debts rested with the Oldco.

 

But the SPFL was adamant the club was still liable for the cash and threatened to withhold broadcasting money and other sums due to Rangers if they didn't stump up.

 

An SPFL statement in 2014 said: "The Rangers Football Club Limited (“Rangers Newco”) signed an agreement under which they would be liable for such sums.”

 

Rangers, though, doggedly refused to pay up and appealed to the SFA – Scottish football’s ultimate governing body – in a bid to overturn the SPFL decision.

 

However, in March the Daily Record revealed how three law lords sitting on an SFA Arbitration Tribunal had found against Rangers.

 

The club then agreed to cough up the cash with the Rangers accounts now showing that the SPFL eventually received £286,000 to settle the dispute.

 

The Rangers annual report issued yesterday states: "In 2012, the SPL raised proceedings against The Rangers Football Club plc (Oldco) in relation to the use of EBTs and following a hearing in February 2013 a fine of £250,000 and costs of £150,000 were levied against Oldco.

 

"As part of the agreement to allow Rangers to participate in Scottish Football, there was a clause inserted where it was agreed that Rangers would become liable and responsible for the imposition of any sanctions by the SPL for any breach of SPL Rules and or articles by Oldco/Rangers FC (i.e. the £250,000 fine).

 

"The Club believed that the SPFL had, through documents and actions, waived all and any right it may have had to insist upon payment under the clause, thereby holding the Club harmless in relation to the sanctions. This was disputed by the SPFL.

 

 

The statement regarding the £250,000 in the Rangers annual report

 

"Within the current SPFL rules there is a provision (known as the offset rule) whereby if any amounts are due to the SPFL, the Board of the SPFL are entitled to withhold amounts due to the Club up to the value of the amount outstanding.

 

"The Board of the SPFL determined that it would impose the offset rule to recover the £250,000 fine from the Club.

 

"As a result of this decision, the Club invoked Article 99 of the SFA Articles seeking a determination by an Arbitral Tribunal appointed by the SFA that the sum was not due to the SPFL.

 

"The tribunal was held in October 2015 and found in favour of the SPFL and as such the Club was liable to pay the fine plus associated costs.

 

"The Club duly paid the SPFL and the total paid during the year amounted to £286,000 and has been disclosed as a non-recurring cost in the financial statements."

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-pay-250000-ebt-fine-9149702#rlabs=4%20rt$sitewide%20p

[Barebear 37]

Fuck me!!!!! Brexit will get sorted out quicker than our shite. What a mess, it'll probably be rumbling on for years yet if the fat arsed slave driver at SD has his way too. And no doubt more vendettas in the woodwork to appear yet.

[Barebear 37]

Bring on the Atlantic League I say. Rules won't be written to defeat us in that league I'm sure.

[boabie 230]

Send the bill to Green.

[RANGERRAB 3,405]

The football authorities have clearly stated that Rangers are the same club today since 1872.

If oldco broke football rules newco has to pay.

The Rangers board had to pay this fine. Let's move on.

[boabie 230]

The football authorities have clearly stated that Rangers are the same club today since 1872.

If oldco broke football rules newco has to pay.

The Rangers board had to pay this fine. Let's move on.

 

This is the base of the debate I often have with the manks. The company went burst. The club lived on.

The club owed the debt, not the company.

[RANGERRAB 3,405]

This is the base of the debate I often have with the manks. The company went burst. The club lived on.

The club owed the debt, not the company.

 

Not quite. The oldco was put into a liquidation process after the CVA got rejected. That liquidation process is ongoing and will be for years to come.

In football terms the SFA membership/licence got transferred from oldco to newco so the club continued. Any football fines and debts from oldco has to be paid by newco such as this EBT fine. Rangers board had no choice but to pay it

Edited October 30, 2016 by RANGERRAB

[compo 6,533]

Anyone know how much we have paid in fines these past five years

[jhunter 0]

So the club were liable for the fines but not the prize money/ transfer fees?

[JFK-1 1,691]

Send the bill to Barton, he could cover it with his gambling profits or alternatively fine him 3 months wages and tell him all is forgiven.