(Image: Getty Images)
A Scottish city car sales company has been placed into liquidation.
The move follows a court action against the Highland firm by HMRC.
Next Car Limited, registered in Inverness, was the subject of a petition for the firm to be wound up and a liquidator appointed.
The petition was presented to Inverness Sheriff Court for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
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Documents naming Judith Howson of AAB Business & Tax Advisory show the company address has been changed to an Edinburgh AAB address.
The nature of the firm’s business is the “sale of used cars and light motor vehicles”.
Its most recent accounts, posted in 2023, showed creditors amounts due within one year of almost £500,000.
Scottish car sales firm in liquidation after HMRC action (Image: Getty Images)
Companies House has listed the company as being in compulsory liquidation and stated that the date of "commencement of winding up” was September 25.
Next Car Limited has had its permission to conduct credit business including broking revoked by the Financial Conduct Authority because it had “failed to pay periodic fees and levies owed to the authority”.
It follows news of another Scottish car sales company being placed into administration.
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Administrators to Edinburgh-based Cars4you Limited said they had “implemented safeguards across the car showroom sites all over Scotland”.
BTG said it was appointed by the company’s lenders.
Thomas McKay, managing partner of BTG in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said after the appointment in the Cars4you case: “The used car retailing sector is facing increasing pressure as consumer spending tightens, and this means that we are seeing some retailers struggle across the market as others can still thrive.”
A spokesperson for HMRC said it does not comment on individual businesses because of taxpayer confidentiality, but did say: "We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and only file winding-up petitions once we’ve exhausted all other options, in order to protect taxpayers’ money."
Companies can be given a period of time to pay up debt. The HMRC Debt Management and Banking Manual states that "time to pay" is agreed with a customer and the arrangement "is subject to a number of conditions".
The manual goes on to say: "If they do not stick to these terms we can cancel the arrangement and take legal action to recover any outstanding debt."