A BBC presenter faces a court battle with the taxman over an alleged "excessive" unpaid tax bill. The HMRC claims the famous broadcaster did not pay income tax and National Insurance on cash he earned from the Beeb over a two-year period. They claim between 2013 and 2015 veteran BBC Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine was paid through his own company - Jelly Vine Productions - for his work on Radio 2 and other TV shows.
Although this is not illegal, the HMRC believes the talk show host "performed services for the BBC" and should "be treated for the purposes for income tax and National Insurance contributions as an employee". It is not known how much Vine is alleged to owe but the sum is "estimated and excessive", as reported by the Daily Mail. And, the National Insurance Contributions for 2015/2016 alone are estimated at £20,000.
Documents revealed the star has been locked in a seven-year battle with the taxman. The court paperwork confirmed the contract between Jelly Vine Productions and the BBC stemmed from July 1 2013 to December 30, 2015. "In respect of four productions: the Jeremy Vine Show a weekday programme on Radio 2, election coverage, Eggheads (quiz show) and Points of View," it read.
"All apart from Eggheads are produced by BBC Studios with Eggheads produced by 12 Yard Studios," it added. Vine has appealed the accusations and claimed in a preliminary issues hearing that the HMRC's allegations are "premature" and "invalid". The popular disc jockey raked in up to £749,999 be.
