The request to shutter the company was made by the Advocate General for Scotland on behalf of HMRC
A Scots hospitality firm at the centre of an ongoing spat with workers is in danger of going under after HMRC applied to have the company wound up.
Macmerry, which operates more than a dozen theme bars across Glasgow, Dundee and London, is the subject of a winding up petition that was filed at Dundee Sheriff Court on May 27.
The request to shutter the company was made by the Advocate General for Scotland on behalf of HMRC.
A posting on The Gazette, the UK Government’s official journal of record, notes that HMRC requests Macmerry300 Ltd ‘be wound up by the Court and to appoint a liquidator.’
A spokesperson said: We support customers with tax debts and work with them to find the best solution based on their financial circumstances.
However, the taxman generally moves to wind up companies when they have exhausted other means of chasing up tax debts.
Collectors prefer to cut Time To Pay (TTP) deals with businesses behind on their payments – moving to shut businesses down as a last resort.
Donaldson previously said of the purported tax debts: Your financial information is completely inaccurate.
However, members of trade union Unite’s hospitality branch have reportedly been given assurances that jobs will be retained for as long as possible.
Bryan Simpson, of Unite Hospitality, said: Unite members across Macmerry and Abandon Ship were shocked to be told by the Record that their employer may potentially go into liquidation, putting their jobs put at risk.
We’ve since secured assurances from the director that everything that can be done to ensure ‘absolutely everyone keeps their positions’ is being done, he said.
He said: Whatever happens to these companies, we are doing everything we can to ensure that every job is retained and that our members’ terms and conditions are protected.