EXC BBC presenter Jeremy Vine becomes the latest star facing court battle with HMRC over 'outstanding tax bill'

BBC presenter Jeremy Vine is the latest star to facing a court battle over a tax bill, MailOnline can reveal.

The HMRC is chasing the broadcaster for income tax and National Insurance contributions on money he earned from the BBC between 2013 and 2015.

During this period, he was paid through his own personal service company Jelly Vine Productions for work on Radio 2, election coverage, Eggheads and Points of View.

While this type of set up is legal, the taxman has in recent years been going after stars who have been paid this way.

The HMRC believes that these performers were in effect employees and so payments should have been made for income tax and National Insurance.

Court documents do not reveal how much the HMRC say he owes it, but they reveal at one point in discussions the amounts were branded 'estimated and excessive'.

They show that Vine appears to have been involved in a nearly seven-year battle with the taxman over the set of demands.

Details of the case emerged in a judgement which threw out Vine's application for a 'preliminary issues hearing' ahead of the case being heard in full.

The HMRC believes that Jeremy Vine had 'performed services for the BBC' using his personal service company and should 'be treated for the purposes of income tax and national insurance contributions…as an employee.'

Having come to this conclusion it had sent him demands for tax years 2013-14 to 2015-16 to collect income tax and 'NICs'.

The court document said the contract between Jelly Vine Productions and the BBC 'concerned the period 1 July 2013 to 30 December 2015 in respect of four productions: the Jeremy Vine Show a weekday programme on radio 2, election coverage, Eggheads (quiz show) and Points of View.

'All apart from Eggheads are produced by BBC Studios with Eggheads produced by 12 Yard Studios.'

Vine has been appealing against the HMRC decisions.

He has appealed against the conclusion that he should be taxed as an employee and in an application for a 'preliminary issues hearing' claimed the decisions are 'premature' and 'invalid'.

The document revealed little about the amount owed, but said there was 'the order of £20k' National Insurance Contributions at stake for 2015/16 alone.

The BBC only started publishing its star's salaries in 2017, which is after the period in which the HMRC are pursuing Vine for.

But in the first ever set of figures in 2016-17 the BBC had revealed that Vine was paid up to £749,999. But the following year this had dropped to up to £449,999.

Vine is the latest star to be caught up in the HMRC clampdown on TV stars that are not paid as staff members.

Last year Gary Lineker won his case over a £4.9 million tax bill being demanded by the taxman.

Eamonn Holmes has previously said he was forced to sell his house in Belfast to pay off a £250,000 bill over his tax battle.

Adrian Chiles has been involved in five year legal battle with HMRC over a £1.7m bill.

In 2019, Lorraine Kelly won her case over a £1.2 million tax bill as she claimed performed the role of a 'friendly, chatty and fun personality' on her ITV show and had not 'simply appeared as herself'.

Jeremy Vine's representative declined to comment.

An HMRC spokesperson said: 'We appreciate there's a real person behind every case and are committed to treating all taxpayers with respect.

'We seek to resolve cases as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, in accordance with the law.'