A YORK businessman has been banned from being a director for four years after his financial consultancy was wound up owing £86,752 to creditors.

He is John Mingay, 44, whose consultancy firm CLA Business Finance Limited, in North Lodge, Shipton Road, York, collapsed on June 22, 1999.

York County Court ruled that Mr Mingay, of Newton Road, Tollerton, near Easingwold, had failed to submit any accounts for his company to the Inland Revenue so that there could be an accurate corporation tax assessment of £17,249 plus surcharges of £5,850 and interest of £2,972.

He also caused CLA Business Finance Limited to fail to pay corporation tax of £10,390 before the firm went into liquidation; and he failed to submit two years' income tax returns in 1997/98 and 1998/99.

The court was informed that Mr Mingay was aware of, and accepted responsibility for, the fact that £14,990-worth of Pay As You Earn and National Insurance Contributions were unpaid over those same two years.

The hearing was also told that he had allowed the financial consultancy to trade between February 1, 1997 to August 1998 "to the specific detriment of the Crown Departments", while still continuing to pay the firm's other creditors.

Anyone who breaches a director's disqualification may be committing a criminal offence which could attract a prison sentence of up to two years.

Updated: 11:06 Saturday, November 03, 2001