A COMPANY director has been banned after paying herself despite her firm owing more than £180,000 to the taxman.

Giovanna Sian Elisabeth Ashcroft, 48, failed to ensure Dancing Dog Marketing Communications Ltd paid corporate tax and VAT and caused the firm to “continue trading while withdrawing funds for the benefit of herself”.

An Insolvency Service report said the company became unable to pay tax when it was due in October 2016.

The company submitted corporate tax returns for five consecutive periods in the years ending March 31, 2015, up to March 31, 2019.

The business disclosed corporate tax of £94,574 including £35,518 section 455 tax liabilities in that time.

Between April 18, 2016, and October 19, 2016, Dancing Dog Marketing Communications made payments totalling £22,000 to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

It is reported that HMRC applied £22,000 to the tax period ended March 31, 2015, leaving a balance of £12,085 outstanding at liquidation.

The oldest full amount of corporate tax liability outstanding at liquidation was for the tax period ended March 31, 2016 of £7,658 which fell overdue for payment to HMRC in January 2017.

Information provided by company accountants shows for the years ending March 31, 2017, and March 31, 2018, Ms Ashcroft received dividends totalling £38,646 and £63,725 respectively.

Accounts for the year ended March 31, 2017, show she owed £78,884 in respect of her overdrawn director’s loan account and by the date of liquidation this increased by at least £38,621 to £117,505

Accounts for the year ending March 31, 2018, and March 31, 2019, show she received salaries of £10,400 and £10,600 respectively.

The firm failed to submit VAT returns to HMRC by their due dates from the period from the end of October 2013 to October 2019.

Dancing Dog issued VAT returns for the periods from July 2019 to October that year late.

They covered between August 2013 and October 2019, showing VAT liabilities of £103,694 that went unpaid at liquidation.

Figures from the company’s accountants shows the oldest amount outstanding is for the period ending January 2014, which fell overdue for payment to HMRC on March 8, 2014.

HMRC is the sole creditor at liquidation for £181,661 in respect of VAT, capital tax and PAYE/NIC.

Bank account statements show between April 5, 2017 to March 29, 2019, £204,793 was paid to various parties including at least £103,305 to her personal bank account or to her benefit.

The company was wound up and Ms Ashcroft has been disqualified from being a director for four years from April 8 this year.