Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has avoided a potential £1.2bn tax bill as a result of a secret deal with HMRC. The deal involved a payment of just £10m, according to legal transcripts obtained by BBC Panorama. Revenue & Customs spent nine years investigating the Ecclestone family's tax affairs before offering to settle in return for the payment from the family trusts in 2008. Mr Ecclestone said he paid more than £50m in tax last year. Mr Ecclestone, the chief executive of Formula 1, is currently on trial in Germany facing corruption charges. It is alleged he was behind a £26m bribe paid to a bank official. Prosecutors allege the bribe was paid to ensure that Mr Ecclestone retained...
Full Story »