Couple-run company, which got £272million in PPE contracts, owe £5.5million in taxes – but insist they WILL pay up
- Steve and Kate Dechan have been living in a £3.5million house in the Cotswolds
- Their company Platform-14 Medical had been running at a six-figure loss
A couple-run company that received £272million in PPE contracts owes £5.5million in unpaid taxes – but insists it will pay.
Steve and Kate Dechan were told to pay back the money following claims that many of their masks were unusable.
They have been living together in a luxury five-bedroom, £3.5million farmhouse in the Cotswolds, according to The Sun.
Their company, called Platform-14 Medical, was landed with a winding-up order in the High Court for failing to pay National Insurance and corporation tax.
In April 2020, one day after winning the PPE deal, the couple set up a separate business called Tracingboard, which they used to purchase their huge estate.
A company run by Steve and Kate Dechan (pictured) that received £272million in PPE contracts owes £5.5million in unpaid taxes
The pair have been living together in a luxury five-bedroom, £3.5million farmhouse in the Cotswolds (pictured)
They were previously living in a £350,000 house in Stroud, Gloucestershire, where Mr Dechan worked as a Tory councillor.
Their company had been operating at a six-figure loss, according to The Sun, with only £145 in the bank when they landed the PPE contract.
Mr Dechan donated £7,500 to the Tory party six months after receiving the deal.
He began paying himself around £500,000 – and his wife £150,000 – before purchasing homes in Exeter and Cornwall.
The pair supplied £184million worth of masks and gowns that were unused.
Since the PPE contract ended the couple have began closing down P-14 while owing millions of pounds in tax.
Their company, called Platform-14 Medical (pictured), was landed with a winding-up order in the High Court for failing to pay National Insurance and corporation tax
The High Court winding-up order is set to be heard in front of a judge in August.
Tracingboard and Pain Medical, two of the pair’s companies, seem to be worth more than £11million on paper.
Mr Dechan told The Sun: ‘A new tax assessment was submitted to HMCR on June 30 showing a fraction of what was initially put.
‘Most of the business has been sold. And we are all confident all or majority of any tax due will be paid.’
MailOnline has contacted Platform-14 Medical for comment.
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