Taxman insists football clubs will pay their taxes

The taxman has shot down suggestions that it has given up on collecting some back taxes from football clubs.

In a letter to the FT, HMRC's director general, enforcement and compliance Mike Eland said that only insolvencies pushed down the taxman's take from a club, as an unsecured creditor.

"That is not the same as accepting that a club won't pay", said Eland in response to an article in the paper on 26 September.

"Where clubs have a debt, we expect them to clear it - even if that takes time - and we will take action to recover the money or stop the debt growing if a club fails to come up with sensible proposals, or fails to stick to an arrangement," wrote Eland.

The article suggested HMRC had accepted many clubs would not pay all their back taxes.