Rangers' tax bill drops by £5m following review, claim liquidators - HMRC's position remains unchanged

Liquidators BDO have claimed that the HMRC tax bill owed by Oldco Rangers has fallen by £5.2m.

The tax bill relating to Rangers' liquidation continues to rumble on. Picture: SNS

It follows a further review of arrears of VAT, PAYE and national insurance before they entered administration.

The reduction is the latest relating to the tax bill which stemmed from Rangers' use of the Employee Benefit Trusts (EBT) scheme between 2001 and 2010 when Sir David Murray was in charge.

BDO estimate in their latest report that the money the club's former owners owe has dropped from £94million to around £67million.

More movements on the tax bill will likely happen next year with the liquidators disputing a claim of £48million relating to the EBTs.

Last month The Times reported that HMRC had blundered by as much as £50million with the figure set to be wiped off the bill.

It led to John McClelland, the former Rangers chairman, musing that the club may not have had to be liquidated back in 2012.

HMRC has stated nothing has changed since they disputed the story by the The Times.

Back in November, Jim Harra, HMRC's Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, sent a letter to the editor of the The Times Scotland nothing that it "did not make any mistakes that led to the club's insolvency".

It read: "HMRC won again Rangers' tax avoidance in the Supreme Court. We have a long-standing claim with the liquidators to recover the money due as a result of this judgement.

"The United Kingdom has one of the lowest rates of unpaid tax anywhere in the world. Inaccurate and partial reporting only serves to undermine the public trust in the tax system.

"HMRC is committed to getting tax right, for everyone - and to challenge tax avoidance wherever we find it. We make sure large businesses, like all other taxpayers, pay the taxes due under UK law."