Car dealer being wound up owes almost €10.7m in unpaid taxes

Two companies linked to Carlow-based Meridian Motors, which was the biggest independent motor dealership in the southeast of the State, are listed as owing the State close to €10.7 million, on the latest quarterly list of tax defaulters published by Revenue. However, the State is unlikely to recoup the cash as the named companies are being wound up.

The defaulters list also includes tax settlements agreed with the founder of the L’Ombre chain of hairdressers, as well as companies linked to retailer Carphone Warehouse and also the giant investment group, Polar Capital.

The Meridian Motors settlement is split between Meridian Motors Limited, which owed a total of €4.88 million in employment taxes, VAT and penalties, and Meridian Motors 2014, which owed more than €5.84 million.

Only about 1 per cent of the €10.7 million total had been repaid to the State by the end of June, when a final winding-up meeting was held by liquidator George Maloney of the firm RSM Ireland.

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The Meridian motors group was owned by Carlow businessman Stephen Murphy, who was not personally named on the defaulters list. He has since gone on to start another business.

A settlement of more than €298,000 was made with a Dublin company, MTIS, which is listed by Revenue as an insurance broker. MTIS is owned by the Carphone Warehouse group and sold mobile phone insurance for the retailer, its company accounts suggest.

The settlement was for underpayment of VAT. It has ceased trading, company documents suggest. Carphone Warehouse announced last year it was quitting the Irish market.

Polar Capital Funds plc is also listed as having owed about €113,000 in a VAT case. The company is linked to the global Polar Capital funds investment group, which says it has assets under management of €22 billion.

Mohamad Alkurd, who runs the nine-strong chain of L’Ombre hairdressers, is listed as having owed about €85,000 in income tax and VAT, but the cash has been repaid.

Nicolas Nouelle Parrat, who is listed by Revenue as a “former provider of short-term accommodation”, is also listed for a settlement of almost €210,000 in a VAT and income tax case.

The total value of the 12 cases listed by Revenue for the three months to the end of June is €12.5 million.