Britain’s HMRC declines to say if it is investigating Manchester City

Oct 14 - Britain's tax authority (HMRC) declined on Wednesday to reveal whether it is investigating Manchester City's finances, citing taxpayer confidentiality rules as parliamentary scrutiny of the Premier League club intensifies.

* The chair of parliament's Treasury Committee Meg Hillier had asked HMRC Permanent Secretary JP Marks what action it was taking in response to an independent commission's findings that City had committed over 100 individual breaches of Premier League rules.

* HMRC can unpick a company's tax returns and apply financial penalties if taxes are underpaid as a result of false statements.

* "While taxpayer confidentiality prevents Mr Marks from commenting on any potential ongoing investigation into the club, the Permanent Secretary has reassured the Committee that HMRC works constructively with bodies within football and considers action when there is information which indicates a potential tax risk," HMRC said in a statement.

* HMRC added it had conducted 68 inquiries involving football players, agents and clubs and said that compliance work generated £110 million ($144.9 million) in additional revenue in 2025-26.

* "My letter was intended to ensure HMRC is alive to the seriousness of the situation, particularly given the immense cultural significance football holds in our country, and my assessment of the response is that they are," Hillier said.

* City have denied any wrongdoing and filed an appeal seeking to overturn the verdict after the League said they used "sham" commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million over nearly a decade. REUTERS