Eamonn Holmes has branded HMRC as “thieves” after revealing that he has sold two of his properties and still owes them a huge six-figure sum.
Eamonn Holmes has been forced to sell two of his homes and owes the tax man an eye watering amount(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Eamonn Holmes has disclosed that his tax battle with HMRC has cost him more than £1M, as well as two houses, with the GB News presenter still owing a huge six-figure sum. The former This Morning presenter claimed tax officials ruled he was a staff member with broadcasters rather than freelance.
Eamonn, 65, has branded HMRC as “thieves” and slammed them for “ruining me” during the most vulnerable period of his life. The Northern Irish broadcaster revealed that the tax office demanded 10 years worth of back tax and national insurance as a result of the employee status change.
However, he alleges that he has already paid over £1M back since but despite selling two of his properties, he is still in £250,000 debt. The broadcaster openly discussed his financial situation on an episode of the BelTel podcast with host Ciaran Dunbar, the Express reports.
Eamonn has struggled with his health in recent years (Image: Getty)
Eamonn remarked: “I’m still working because the thieving HMRC came after me and said, ‘Do you know when we always said you were self-employed.
“Well, we thought about it and you’re not self-employed and we want 10 years in back tax and National Insurance.’
“Basically at the most vulnerable time of my life they wrecked me financially.”
He continued: “I had to sell my house in Belfast. We had a house in Portugal I had to sell. I still owe them a quarter of a million quid.
” I appealed it twice and lost it twice. Lawyers fees are absolutely horrendous. That was something on top of health matters I had this tax situation that is not over yet. It’s thievery.”
Eamonn suggested that throughout his broadcasting career he had several jobs with various publications, adding “I couldn’t be more freelance”.
He also fumed that Lorraine Kelly managed to escape a similar tax situation by arguing that she was playing a part on television.
He remarked: “And yet Lorraine Kelly is deemed to be freelance because she’s not really Lorraine Kelly.
Eamonn took a swipe at Lorraine Kelly(Image: ITV )
“She’s an actress who plays the part of Lorraine Kelly, she said. It absolutely ruined me.”
Lorraine previously dodged a £1.2million tax bill after a judge claimed that she is a “theatrical artist” taking on the role of “Lorraine Kelly”.
She received the eye-watering tax and national insurance bill from HMRC in 2020 after the revenue argued that TV presenters are employed by broadcasters, and therefore should be “subject to income tax and national insurance contributions.”
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Eamonn spoke about his tax battle last year and said he never received any holiday or sick pay, insisting that he was not looking for sympathy on the matter.
In an interview with his former UTV colleague Gerry Kelly, he said: “It’s like they have taken away everything I ever worked for”.
A HMRC spokesperson previously stated: “We take the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously and do everything we can for those who engage with us to get their tax affairs in order, including by offering affordable payment plans.”