5 days ago
Former world darts champion, 34, is BANNED as company director for five years over failure to pay £450k tax bill
Rob Cross has been banned as a company director for five years after his business failed to pay more than £450,000 in tax.
The ban prevents him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court, until June 2030.
The 2018 world champion set up Rob Cross Darts Limited in 2017 to receive prize money and it took in more than £1.4million in winnings and sponsorship as he embarked on the most successful spell of his career.
But, before Mr Cross liquidated the company in 2023, he took out £300,000, which should have been paid to creditors, including to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
He also took more than £400,000 from the company in the form of a director's loan before the company was liquidated. Meanwhile, £665,419 was paid into the personal account of someone with links to Mr Cross.
By the time it went into liquidation, Rob Cross Darts Limited owed the taxman £465,403.
The 34-year-old, who is playing in the Nordic Masters in Copenhagen this weekend, entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) last year and will make monthly contributions to pay off the money he owes.
Kevin Read, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 'When directors fail to pay the correct amount of tax, it directly impacts the government's ability to fund vital public services such as the NHS, schools, transport infrastructure and our national defence.'
