HOME – Eamonn Holmes has revealed he had to sell his beloved house in east Belfast to pay off a huge bill after a £250,000 tax battle with HMRC.
Her Regret
The TV presenter, 64, admitted he feels ‘bitter’ about having to sell his house after losing two appeals against HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which set him back ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees’.
Speaking in an interview with his former UTV colleague Gerry Kelly, due to be screened next month, Eamonn claimed tax officials ruled he was a staff member with broadcasters rather than freelance.
The Heavy Payment Requested From him
They allegedly asked for 10 years of retrospective tax and national insurance payments from him.
He claims he never received holiday or sick pay, though he said he wasn’t looking for sympathy. ‘It’s like they have taken away everything I ever worked for,’ he tells the show on NVTV.
It comes after Lorraine Kelly escaped a £1.2 million tax bill after a judge described her as an ‘entertaining lady’ who is her own boss.
Lorraine’s Experience with Tax Authorities
Lorraine locked horns with the tax authorities over claims that the company through which she provides her services to broadcasters is just a front.
In 2016 HM Revenue and Customs presented her with an income tax bill for almost £900,000, plus national insurance contributions of over £300,000.
But in 2019 she scored a victory after a tax judge described her as an ‘honest, intelligent’ woman who is a super-talented freelancer.
