TAX ACCOUNTANT FACES LOSS OF HOME OVER £600K UNPAID BILL

John Dixon, a former partner at Ernst & Young who earned £2 million annually during his career, faces losing his Grade II listed cottage in the Welsh Borders following a High Court ruling last week. Trustees seeking to recover a £600,000-plus tax debt obtained a court order to seize and sell the property. Dixon was declared bankrupt in 2017 owing more than £600,000 in unpaid tax, penalties and interest to HM Revenue & Customs.

Years before his bankruptcy, Dixon signed documents transferring all his assets to his wife, Janet, in an arrangement designed to place his wealth beyond the reach of creditors. A judge found these trusts were intended to "defraud" future creditors by making his assets inaccessible. The High Court upheld this finding in last week's hearing. Dixon previously maintained a multimillionaire lifestyle that included expensive motor vehicles, a property in Barbados and a mansion on a Scottish loch. The couple were issued a freezing order and now rely on state pensions.

At the High Court hearing, Dixon stated he felt treated unfairly by the court process and described himself as having been "mugged" by the proceedings. Bankruptcy trustees have launched proceedings to seize and sell the cottage to recover the outstanding tax debt. Dixon's career also included partnerships at Thornton Baker, which later became Grant Thornton, before he joined Ernst & Young as a partner in 1997 and was invited to Downing Street and appeared before Parliamentary committees during his professional life.