Court records show HMRC issued the petition against Carragher on Wednesday afternoon. The Insolvency and Companies court, a specialist court within the high court, deals with bankruptcy petitions. This suggests that HMRC has taken a serious step in pursuing Carragher for the unpaid tax bill.
HMRC has stated that they take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts, offering instalment plans to help them get out of debt. However, they only petition for bankruptcy as a last resort. This implies that Carragher's situation has reached a critical point, prompting HMRC to take this action.
A spokesperson for Carragher has confirmed that the matter will be resolved imminently, stating that the appropriate steps are being taken to settle the private tax matter.