Eamonn Holmes could be facing a bill of up to £250,000 after losing an appeal against HM Revenue and Customs over how much he should be paying in taxes. The This Morning presenter released a statement via Contractor Calculator about the case, with his spokesperson writing: "Eamonn has always considered himself a self-employed freelancer and has never knowingly avoided paying taxes. He is taking the time to understand the extensive document detailing the outcome."
Eamonn shared a link to the story
The statement continued: "Like many people across the country and from many different professions, he is seeking to comprehend what this means; and simply wishes for clarity and consistency across the guidelines so that people don’t suffer the same confusion over these retrospective IR35 rulings." HMRC are currently examining TV personalities who are paid as freelancers through companies, claiming that they need to ensure employment taxes are paid.
The presenter previously spoke about the situation, claiming that the rules have been unfairly changed. He said: "I was in a court in central London for a week in June. I've been freelance for 28 years and that's been okay. Now they've said it's not okay. They have reinvented the rules in the past couple of years. There is nobody more freelance than me, but they are trying to prove our jobs are regular and guaranteed. They could go at any moment."
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The judge, Judge Morgan, confirmed that Eamonn didn't try to avoid paying taxes, saying: "Mr Holmes has a forceful personality and his passion for his presenting and journalistic work was readily apparent. In that context, I find it unsurprising that Mr Holmes would want to engage others to organise and deal with the legal and other details of his engagements for him so that he can focus on what really interests him, namely, his presenting and journalistic work."
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Eamonn shared a link to the news story on Twitter, and his fans were quick to support him, with one writing: "Who was the judge? Every time I see a poor ruling now I just think corruption. The whole system is bent with some judges in HMRC pockets. Used to think we lived in a fair, decent country." Another added: "I really hope you plan to appeal. The Richard and Judy case set a precedent for exactly the same programme so this ruling is unbelievable. There is no logic behind it at all."