Corrie's Bill Roache given three months to clear debt as he tries to sell home
Coronation Street legend Bill Roache has been given three months to clear his debt to HMRC.
At a 33 second court hearing this morning, a specialist judge was told his amount owed had been reduced due to payments made. But the 91-year-old is awaiting the sale of his home in order to pay off the rest, said Jacquille Jarrett, representing HMRC.
His case was adjourned for 12 weeks, until June 10, for the settlement of the remaining balance. The amount now owed was not revealed in court but last month it was reported he had £546,000 tax bill.
The Ken Barlow actor, who holds the world record for the longest-serving TV actor in a continuous role, did not appear at court this morning.
It is understood that Bill, who has played Ken Barlow since 1960, earns about £250,000 a year and is the highest paid cast member. In 2018 the Mirror told how the star faced a huge bill after investing in a £500million tax avoidance scheme. It was unknown how much he had invested in Twofold First Services LLP, owned by a firm in the Cayman Islands.
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He was one of 288 investors who entered the scheme and put in, on average, £1.75million. Papers showed he joined the scheme in March 2012. The complex scheme involved claiming tax relief from the artificial losses of a land-owning business and meant investors could use the paper loss to reduce their income tax. A tribunal ruled in favour of HMRC, which successfully argued Twofold was "a tax avoidance arrangement". It was branded "abusive and artificial" by the Treasury.
A HMRC spokesman told the Mirror in January it files for a petition for bankruptcy with the court to obtain a bankruptcy order. He said: "We might have an outstanding tax debt, if someone refused to engage with us and pay the tax that is due, then as a last resort we will issue a bankruptcy action. That is to recover the tax they owe but, as I say, it is the sort of thing we do as a last resort." A Coronation Street spokesman said: "We're really sorry to hear of Bill's financial situation. He has an ongoing contract with Coronation Street and remains a much-loved member of the cast."
During the coronavirus lockdown, Bill decided to bring in some cash by selling videos to fans. He decided to sign up to Celebrity Video Messages, a service where fans can pay a fee to certain big names and receive a greeting from their idol. Bill was charging £35 for a video, and would send it in four to seven working days. He has also signed up to Cameo, where he continues to sell personalised videos. Bill has upped his price on the site as he now charges £51 to film a video for fans.
Bill previously spoke of not wanting to retire anytime soon, telling viewers in an ITV documentary on his 90th birthday: "People will say when are you retiring? Are you going to take a break? But then what happens? Whilst I can do it, and whilst they will have me, I have no intention of retiring. I am so fortunate to work for an organisation that is happy to have me."
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