Very late tax, CCJs and what next

julianjambo

Hi folks, sorry if this is a bit of a ramble

Ten years ago I was doing quite well for myself but there was a recession in my field of work and within a year I was broke and had lost everything. The whole thing got on top of me and after losing the plot for a while, living on people's floors for a few years, attempting to start a new company in the same line of work (which failed) I finally ended up doing something I never thought possible and moved in with my mother.

Although I had paid tax up until things went pear shaped, I never paid for the final year of when I was earning decent money. And as I was of no fixed abode for a few years after my downfall it meant I didn't stay in touch at all with the IR and my accounts were scattered and some even lost.

Finally, after eight and a half years of earning very little money at all I decided to get on top of it, got in touch with IR, had a friend help me with accounts, got the 65k of the IR's estimate down to 18k (once I told them that no, I actually disappeared because I'd STOPPED earning money) and finally my accounts were in order for the first time in 10 years. It took well over a year to find and spreadsheet all the information and to relay this to the revenue.

So unfortunately the 6k I originally owed still now comes in at 18k with interest and penalties.

I finally offered to pay the IR a very small amount a month (like 40 quid) and I immediately received a County Court Judgement on me. The idea that finally after all this time I could get yet another 6 years of bad credit rating after I've only really just about managed to get it back together fills me with dread.

I am in no position to pay the 18k now just as I wasn't in any position to pay the original 6k way back when.

Is there any advice anyone can give me? I feel that after finally getting on top of something that's plagued me for a decade it's just going to swallow me up again and I can't see any escape.

Hazzo

It sounds to me as if you will be treading water for some considerable time with this problem, so perhaps it might be a good idea to draw a line underneath it and rebuild for the future? I strongly suggest that you should have an immediate chat with an insolvency practitioner; should you work out a plan with them, you will at least be protected from the future harassment associated with the debt.