Jim Traynor- Today

[JamieG54 812]

Very good read this morning off the website. Im on mobile so if anyone could copy and paste please for fellow bears to see.

[WATP-FOREVER 5,231]

RANGERS have had many massive triumphs in their time, especially the 3-2 win over Moscow Dynamo in the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

But yesterday’s result will surely go down as the most significant in their history. It wasn’t even played out on a pitch.

This victory came inside a stuffy office somewhere along Edinburgh’s George Street.

But even though no one kicked a ball, Rangers’ 2-1 win in the First Tier Tax Tribunal represents one of their greatest successes.

And it should bring an end to one of the longest and, given the behaviour of so many mean spirited and malicious individuals, certainly one of the most shameful tax cases in Scottish history.

Murray Group Holdings and Others were contesting a potential tax liability of £87million (made up mostly of penalties) and if there is to be a bill it will come to no more than £2m but probably even less.

This will be in combined penalties against individuals who may be guilty of minor breaches of technicalities.

But the point is Rangers were brought to their knees by a debt which was never real.

And they became victims of a case which should not have been allowed to run in the first place. Long and complex, it has cost something like £5m in legal fees. But at the end of it all there remains one unanswered question: Why?

What was the point and what were the real motives behind the zeal with which some in HMRC, and the media, tackled this case? This is not to say the Revenue shouldn’t try to reclaim money when they believe it’s due. It must be stressed they should but there are aspects of this case which deserve to be scrutinised closely and perhaps they will, if some of them people denigrated and wronged decide to take legal action.

This case has been about money but there has been a greater cost.

There has been a heavy human cost, too. Innocents, Rangers fans, for instance, have been damaged and so have former directors, especially Martin Bain.

And what was his crime? He inherited the EBT controversy but managed to hold his club together at a time when it seemed the entire country was pounding at the red facade of Ibrox. But there was no gratitude. Bain, and others, were wrongly accused of malpractice. They, Rangers, were all guilty. Fact.

Their persecutors, an alarming number of other clubs and their fans, should be hiding in shame this morning, or breaking cover only to apologise. Fat chance.

Blind hatred and poison has saturated this case which could actually have paid off for HMRC. They were offered £10m two years ago to settle but refused, probably because they wanted a trophy win to set a precedent which would allow them to pursue hundreds of other companies for untold millions.

But they failed. Yesterday two of the three judges ruled Rangers’ EBT system was a form of loans and not taxable after all.

And yet, because the tax man insisted Rangers owed them £50m, a catastrophic chain of events then unfolded.

No one wanted to touch a club with a potential bill of that size hanging over them and eventually Rangers fell into the wrong hands, the hands of a man who really didn’t pay tax and who then caused one of Europe’s biggest clubs to slide into liquidation.

But let’s be clear on this, the Revenue’s demand for payment, which it has now been declared invalid, started Rangers’ slide towards the precipice. Companies who sell cups of coffee and mobile phones can escape payments for hundreds of millions but Rangers?

No chance. They were chased and backed into a corner for piddling amounts by comparison. Amounts they didn’t even owe. Of course David Murray is responsible for selling but he was being pressed by a bank, who wanted rid of the club. They didn’t like the bad publicity their squeezing of Rangers attracted and Donald Muir, their man on the Ibrox board, wasn’t about to let Craig Whyte’s offer pass by.

The rest is history but it is a bitter and twisted chapter in a story which shines a light on a side of this country which should embarrass us. So many people wanted Rangers shut, or at least cut down and now they know there was nothing illegal in what was done with EBT payments they should take a good look at themselves.

Sadly, they just wanted to believe Rangers were guilty and it became popular belief that this lot really did owe almost £90m in tax. People spoke matter of factly about Rangers being tax cheats and there was such a groundswell against the club few were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The facts were trampled as the crowds rushed to dance on Rangers’ grave.

Even people who should have known better were swept along in the rush to accuse and condemn Rangers or anyone who dared say, ‘hold on, shouldn’t we wait until the real financial experts rule.’

But now we all know the truth, although we haven’t a clue as to the identities of those at the centre of this sorry saga.

Bizarrely an anonymised form of the tribunal’s ruling was published yesterday revealing that evidence had been delivered by Mr Red, Mr Purple, Mr Turquoise, Mr Yellow, Mrs Scarlet and other colourful people.

Neither Quentin Tarantino nor the makers of Cluedo could have done a better job of disguising characters yet the identities of those who had received loans in the form of EBT while at Rangers were leaked routinely to

journalists and bloggers.

But the Revenue didn’t want the names of any of their people out in there in the public domain. Why? Because we’d then know who had rejected the £10m? Or was it felt they had to be protected for other reasons?

But there are names on various emails and documents in circulation and maybe one day soon there will be greater transparency as a case which has brought so much strife to the game is finally put to rest.

We can argue until the end of time about whether the Rangers in question still exist or whether the history with all its glories, defeats, highs and lows remains intact. But one crucial truth cannot and should not be lost.

Rangers, we know, were stricken, taken down by a fantasy tax bill. They were declared guilty before trial.

Rangers, as a brand, was tarnished because HMRC said they owed tax on EBT payments which the club had always argued were loans. Yesterday two of the three judges agreed. So HMRC, who had insisted an initial tax and National Insurance bill of £37m, which climbed to £87m, be paid, were left with nothing. They say they’ll appeal but it could be argued they’ve caused more than enough damage.

Besides, even if they’d won their case yesterday they still wouldn’t have got anything out of the Rangers they had pursued. They were forced into liquidation, remember.

And the real bottom line in all of this? Rangers’ closure was all so unnecessary and the turmoil and upheaval caused could have been avoided. Despite accusations Rangers did nothing wrong. Pity the same can’t be said of all those self-proclaimed experts, bloggers and journalists.

Rangers will be clobbered they had said. The verdict will be damning. Rangers will be shown up as cheats, they squealed.

It’s clear now who the guilty parties are and Rangers are not among them.

[WATP-FOREVER 5,231]

Fenian justice; guilty till proven innocent.

"The tax case is over,

Why don't yez fuck off"......

[Big Al 55 9,248]

Good article, could have been a bit stronger though.

[AlBear. 8,499]

Well said.

[AljayBoy 2,298]

Thanks for the great read, wouldn't have saw otherwise

[RFC55 108,805]

Well said Jim Traynor! A man who has at least stuck up for us in the last couple of months! He hits the nail sqaure on the head there

[minstral 5,375]

Top class article and thanks for posting.

[mabawsa 888]

Can't argue with any of that. I await the retribution with some glee. No place of sanctuary should be afforded those behind this hideous campaign. They should be hounded out and publically held accountable. The bile in certain bigoted journalists was all too evident. Idiots who had no financial background sworn on the authenticity of the RTC.

This should not lie. It should be the beginning of a purge to cleanse bigotry from the Mhedia and Government offices. We as Rangers fans demand it and so should our custodians. Justice for Rangers!

[Alwaysblue 709]

Good article, could have been a bit stronger though.

I agree but hopefully this is just him setting the scene for more agreesive articles - remember he is close to Murray and Walter

[bluenosebrad 452]

Enjoyed that post

[psychobudgie 55]

Jim Traynor is possibly the only Journo who actually comes out of this with his credibility intact.

[Moody Blue Legend 61,450]

[sonofbear 398]

Excellent article apart from the line

"We can argue until the end of time about whether the Rangers in question still exist or whether the history with all its glories, defeats, highs and lows remains intact."

However its good to hear some positivity for a change and an attack on the haters

[bilko89 507]

Cracking piece

[cushynumber 25,178]

The DR - but epecially Traynor have actually said it like it is.

I work for an english company and have circulated this article via email - just to let all the people down south who may only get the BBC spin/take on this know the actual truth.

[Bothwellbear 1,392]

Excellent article.

[RAFREG 471]

Well says it all really.

Surely heads will start to roll,,as all that has gone on comes to light.

Don`t know about the rest of you but i feel a bit empty today Knowing that what has gone on ,and been allowed to go on by our governing body, it has destroyed our great club. But we are still here still standing loud and proud,onward and upwards Rangers and show no mercy to them all on our way up the leagues and to even more glory.

Keep your powder dry.

[Gillete 1,338]

I want 3 names head on a plate

[alectrician 70]

RANGERS have had many massive triumphs in their time, especially the 3-2 win over Moscow Dynamo in the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

But yesterday’s result will surely go down as the most significant in their history. It wasn’t even played out on a pitch.

This victory came inside a stuffy office somewhere along Edinburgh’s George Street.

But even though no one kicked a ball, Rangers’ 2-1 win in the First Tier Tax Tribunal represents one of their greatest successes.

And it should bring an end to one of the longest and, given the behaviour of so many mean spirited and malicious individuals, certainly one of the most shameful tax cases in Scottish history.

Murray Group Holdings and Others were contesting a potential tax liability of £87million (made up mostly of penalties) and if there is to be a bill it will come to no more than £2m but probably even less.

This will be in combined penalties against individuals who may be guilty of minor breaches of technicalities.

But the point is Rangers were brought to their knees by a debt which was never real.

And they became victims of a case which should not have been allowed to run in the first place. Long and complex, it has cost something like £5m in legal fees. But at the end of it all there remains one unanswered question: Why?

What was the point and what were the real motives behind the zeal with which some in HMRC, and the media, tackled this case? This is not to say the Revenue shouldn’t try to reclaim money when they believe it’s due. It must be stressed they should but there are aspects of this case which deserve to be scrutinised closely and perhaps they will, if some of them people denigrated and wronged decide to take legal action.

This case has been about money but there has been a greater cost.

There has been a heavy human cost, too. Innocents, Rangers fans, for instance, have been damaged and so have former directors, especially Martin Bain.

And what was his crime? He inherited the EBT controversy but managed to hold his club together at a time when it seemed the entire country was pounding at the red facade of Ibrox. But there was no gratitude. Bain, and others, were wrongly accused of malpractice. They, Rangers, were all guilty. Fact.

Their persecutors, an alarming number of other clubs and their fans, should be hiding in shame this morning, or breaking cover only to apologise. Fat chance.

Blind hatred and poison has saturated this case which could actually have paid off for HMRC. They were offered £10m two years ago to settle but refused, probably because they wanted a trophy win to set a precedent which would allow them to pursue hundreds of other companies for untold millions.

But they failed. Yesterday two of the three judges ruled Rangers’ EBT system was a form of loans and not taxable after all.

And yet, because the tax man insisted Rangers owed them £50m, a catastrophic chain of events then unfolded.

No one wanted to touch a club with a potential bill of that size hanging over them and eventually Rangers fell into the wrong hands, the hands of a man who really didn’t pay tax and who then caused one of Europe’s biggest clubs to slide into liquidation.

But let’s be clear on this, the Revenue’s demand for payment, which it has now been declared invalid, started Rangers’ slide towards the precipice. Companies who sell cups of coffee and mobile phones can escape payments for hundreds of millions but Rangers?

No chance. They were chased and backed into a corner for piddling amounts by comparison. Amounts they didn’t even owe. Of course David Murray is responsible for selling but he was being pressed by a bank, who wanted rid of the club. They didn’t like the bad publicity their squeezing of Rangers attracted and Donald Muir, their man on the Ibrox board, wasn’t about to let Craig Whyte’s offer pass by.

The rest is history but it is a bitter and twisted chapter in a story which shines a light on a side of this country which should embarrass us. So many people wanted Rangers shut, or at least cut down and now they know there was nothing illegal in what was done with EBT payments they should take a good look at themselves.

Sadly, they just wanted to believe Rangers were guilty and it became popular belief that this lot really did owe almost £90m in tax. People spoke matter of factly about Rangers being tax cheats and there was such a groundswell against the club few were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The facts were trampled as the crowds rushed to dance on Rangers’ grave.

Even people who should have known better were swept along in the rush to accuse and condemn Rangers or anyone who dared say, ‘hold on, shouldn’t we wait until the real financial experts rule.’

But now we all know the truth, although we haven’t a clue as to the identities of those at the centre of this sorry saga.

Bizarrely an anonymised form of the tribunal’s ruling was published yesterday revealing that evidence had been delivered by Mr Red, Mr Purple, Mr Turquoise, Mr Yellow, Mrs Scarlet and other colourful people.

Neither Quentin Tarantino nor the makers of Cluedo could have done a better job of disguising characters yet the identities of those who had received loans in the form of EBT while at Rangers were leaked routinely to

journalists and bloggers.

But the Revenue didn’t want the names of any of their people out in there in the public domain. Why? Because we’d then know who had rejected the £10m? Or was it felt they had to be protected for other reasons?

But there are names on various emails and documents in circulation and maybe one day soon there will be greater transparency as a case which has brought so much strife to the game is finally put to rest.

We can argue until the end of time about whether the Rangers in question still exist or whether the history with all its glories, defeats, highs and lows remains intact. But one crucial truth cannot and should not be lost.

Rangers, we know, were stricken, taken down by a fantasy tax bill. They were declared guilty before trial.

Rangers, as a brand, was tarnished because HMRC said they owed tax on EBT payments which the club had always argued were loans. Yesterday two of the three judges agreed. So HMRC, who had insisted an initial tax and National Insurance bill of £37m, which climbed to £87m, be paid, were left with nothing. They say they’ll appeal but it could be argued they’ve caused more than enough damage.

Besides, even if they’d won their case yesterday they still wouldn’t have got anything out of the Rangers they had pursued. They were forced into liquidation, remember.

And the real bottom line in all of this? Rangers’ closure was all so unnecessary and the turmoil and upheaval caused could have been avoided. Despite accusations Rangers did nothing wrong. Pity the same can’t be said of all those self-proclaimed experts, bloggers and journalists.

Rangers will be clobbered they had said. The verdict will be damning. Rangers will be shown up as cheats, they squealed.

It’s clear now who the guilty parties are and Rangers are not among them.

If only they could be named and shamed....but suppose thats just wishful thinking.

[DAVIE8CH 296]

looking at some of the other papers this morning, some of the readers are really hurting this morning their comments and i mean really hurting. it great to be a bear. and another thing how does fil 40 names get on news now rangers eh

[Fiogh 178]

Great read. Really hope every wronged party comes out with the Lawyers and there is lawsuit a-gogo.

[Prince of Orange 84]

Alright guys, haven't been on for quite a while so I don't know what has happened to change so many minds on traynor. Bought my first rag since march this morning and since reading him last he seems to made a full reversal regards his attitude towards us.

He's nothing more than a two faced bastard who started back tracking on his pish assessments of us earlier than most in my opinion.

On a brighter note I'm having my best day at work for years. I can't even hear the dissenting voices because I'm sitting far above them on my high white charger!

[MikeBlue 136]

Excellent article by a fair minded journalist who tells it as he sees it. A rare individual these days it seems.

The HMRC team behind this have lost the public purse a minimum of 15M in refused payments and legal bills. Clearly there should be an investigation.

[cushynumber 25,178]

If only they could be named and shamed....but suppose thats just wishful thinking.

Judging by Murrays quotes in the DR today - it looks like he is going after them big time...