Reading: HMRC lodges winding-up petition against League One Club
- Published
This is the fourth time HMRC has issued Reading with a winding-up petition and the third under owner Dai Yongge
Reading have been served a winding-up petition by His Majesty's Revenue & Customs over unpaid tax bills, as the crisis at the club deepens.
The financially troubled League One club is already facing a string of charges handed down by the English Football League.
Last week the EFL added failing to pay taxes to its list of regulations the club has failed to comply with.
Reading were also charged with failure to pay players on time last season.
The club's owner Dai Yongge has also been charged with causing the club to be in breach of EFL regulation. He has until Thursday, 29 June to respond to the charge.
A winding-up petition is issued when a debt has been ignored for three weeks.
It can be resolved by payment of debt or by arrangement of a payment plan with the creditor, in this case HMRC.
In the worst case scenario, it can lead to a business going into administration.
It is the fourth time Reading have been issued with a winding-up petition, with the club avoiding total collapse on three previous occasions.
The BBC has contacted Reading for comment.
Prior to the club being charged by the EFL last week, Royals chief executive Dayong Pang posted a letter to fans where he said he was "confident" the club would "fully correct the mistakes that were made many years ago".
He added: "As a club, financially we continue to face a number of significant challenges and our owner, Mr Dai, is working very hard to resolve those issues to ensure the future of Reading Football Club is stable, successful, progressive and positive."
A collection of Reading fan groups, who call themselves Sell Before We Dai, recently demanded the club be sold.