Director banned after unpaid £300k tax bill

The owner of two firms which installed fire alarms has been banned from running companies after he racked up £300,000 in unpaid taxes.

Alex Shorthose from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, paid himself £215,870 from the first company and £171,325 from the second while paying HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) just £5,368.

The Insolvency Service said the 42-year-old shut down both companies in 2024 after running up the debts.

He has now been disqualified from running companies until April 2032, the government agency said.

Shorthose caused Siamo Fire and Security Limited and Alex Fire and Security Limited to run up VAT and PAYE debts of £185,538 and £142,092 between December 2017 and January 2024.

He took no steps to formally dissolve or liquidate the first company when it stopped trading in 2021, and instead he "repeated the same misconduct all over again at Alex Fire and Security Limited," the Insolvency Service said.

Chief investigator Kevin Read said he had "used the cynical but well-worn tactic of running up debts at one company, walking away, and starting again at another.

"His misconduct was not short-lived – it lasted for more than six years across two companies.

"It gives dishonest directors an unfair advantage over competitors who pay their taxes, and it deprives public services of funds they depend on," he added.

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