John Barnes, full name John Charles Bryan Barnes, has been barred after causing his eponymous business – John Barnes Media Ltd – to trade to the detriment of HMRC.
The Insolvency Service report stated that Barnes, who was awarded an MBE in 1998 and became a club ambassador at Liverpool FC in 2022, was the sole director of the business.
John Barnes Media (JBM) was forcibly wound up by the Official Receiver and liquidator in March 2023, following a winding-up petition lodged by HMRC.
The business had ceased trading at the end of January 2020, owing HMRC £274,630 in unpaid corporation tax, VAT and penalties.
The report said that funds had been applied to the detriment of HMRC: “JBM’s turnover between 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2020 was £441,798, of which nothing was paid to HMRC.
“Between 31 October 2018 and 31 October 2020 Mr Barnes increased the amount he owed to JBM by £94,832.”
Barnes has been disqualified from being a director for three years and six months, effective today (24 April).
Mike Smith, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said of the case: “Individuals and businesses not paying the tax they should deprives the government of the funding it needs to provide vital public services and investment in areas such as schools, hospitals and roads.
“John Barnes had a legal duty to ensure his company paid the correct amount of corporation tax and VAT. Instead, it paid no tax whatsoever between November 2018 and October 2020, despite receiving earnings of well over £400,000.
“This disqualification should serve as a deterrent to other directors that if you do not pay your taxes while directing money elsewhere, you are at risk of being banned.”
Barnes' month of birth is November 1963 and his business address is in West Byfleet, Surrey.
He was a speedy left wing in his heyday and has authored a number of books, including John Barnes: The Autobiography in 1999 and The Uncomfortable Truth about Racism, published in 2021. A range of signed merchandise and prints is also available online.
Barnes is also well-known for his iconic rap on New Order’s World in Motion, the England song for the 1990 World Cup.
