Former England star made bankrupt over £36k tax debt

Former England winger Trevor Sinclair has been adjudicated bankrupt over a £36,000 tax debt. The former QPR, West Ham and Manchester City star scooped 12 England caps during his career and made a fortune before becoming a TV and radio pundit. But on Thursday he was made bankrupt by HMRC after failing to pay taxes and penalties totalling £36,424. The debt related to pundit work undertaken in the 2021-22 tax year. Sinclair, 52, had previously been given extra time to come up with the money or alternative proposals to pay. However, he did not turn up to court. Judge Caroline Wilkinson said HMRC had received no contact from Sinclair and concluded that he is "unable to pay his debts as they fall due". The case previously reached Central London County Court in April, where the judge heard that Sinclair ended up owing a sizeable chunk of cash to the taxman after his accountant died. The amount includes two large sums of over £13,000 for work as a pundit, plus outstanding National Insurance and penalty payments, HMRC lawyers said. The taxman had wanted a bankruptcy order, with HMRC barrister Shabab Rizvi saying: “The debtor is a former Premier League footballer and...

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