Striling face closure threat over unpaid £34K tax bill

Published on Thursday 29 October 2009 23:50

HM REVENUE and Customs have given Second Division leaders Stirling Albion eight days to pay off a £34,000 debt or be wound up.

A petition has been lodged with Stirling District Council, and a liquidator is due to be appointed early in November if the club can't pay the debt.

The club were faced with an original winding-up order by Revenue and Customs in May, this time for 41,000. A spokesman for HMRC said last night that it wasn't appropriate to comment on individual cases, but it is understood that there will be no further leeway and steps will be taken quickly to wind up the club if the 34,000 isn't paid.

The sum is on top of 67,000 owed to Stirling Council for rent and rates. The council has threatened to terminate the lease of Albion's ground, Forthbank Stadium, if a solution is not found by the end of November.

Club owner and chairman Peter McKenzie confirmed that the sum owed to Revenue and Customs was 34,000 and said: "I was speaking to them this morning and we've agreed it will be paid next week. It would either be that or the club went under, so I'll need to to do it."