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Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Purkiss v Kennedy: Insolvency Act 1986 s 423—tax avoidance not a prohibited purpose; transaction at undervalue insufficient absent intent to prejudice HMRC (EWHC, England and Wales)

Published on: 20 May 2024

Published by a LexisNexis Restructuring & Insolvency expert
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Article summary

Purkiss (as liquidator of Ethos Solutions Ltd) v Kennedy and others [2024] EWHC 1081 (Ch)

What are the practical implications of this case?

This judgment clarifies the scope of IA 1986, s 423 and confirms that tax avoidance, standing alone, is not an unlawful purpose. The respondents received monies they should not have obtained by joining a failed tax avoidance arrangement; yet, without additional evidence, IA 1986, s 423 was not the appropriate avenue to recover those sums

What was the background?

The Company was an umbrella enterprise established in 2008 that promoted and operated a tax avoidance scheme (the Scheme) intended to enable self‑employed participants to avoid paying income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) on their earnings. Under the Scheme, individuals who had supplied services to an end user as consultants or independent contractors became employees of the Company and then delivered their services to the end user through the Company. Most of their remuneration was routed by the Company to an offshore employee benefit trust (the Trust), from which the individuals requested and received loans...

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