Surprise debt revealed at TLC IT creditors' meeting

TLC IT Managed Services, which was placed into voluntary administration last month, owes the Australian Tax Office over $800,000 in unpaid taxes, it was revealed today at a creditors' meeting in Melbourne.

Former director and shareholder of TLC IT Group, Jan Chapman who is in a dispute with his brother and managing director of the company, Alan Chapman said only "a few creditors turned up" to today's meeting.

"We found out there is over $800,000 in debt to the ATO that wasn't originally in the creditors' meeting report," he said.

Jan Chapman said a representative from the tax office was not present at the meeting.

He said it is unclear how much TLC IT owed him as the documents from today's meeting said the debts were ‘to be confirmed' (TBC).

According to Jan Chapman, the administrator told creditors today that Alan Chapman's new company Genesis MSP is operating under license from the liquidator to carry out the work from TLC IT Managed Services.

TLC IT Managed Services was placed into voluntarily administration on May 26 following a "shareholders dispute."

ASIC has confirmed with CRN that Bradley Tonks and Christopher Wykes from Lawler Partners are the joint administrators.

The administrator has not returned CRN's calls seeking comment.

Alan Chapman told CRN that he was not liquidating TLC IT Managed Services.

"We put it into voluntary administration, not liquidation, let's be clear on that. We're not going to liquidate the company.

"We have a shareholders dispute so we've gone into administration. We have no reason to [go into liquidation].

In April, CRN reported that parent company TLC IT Group was placed into voluntary liquidation. TLC IT Group was also in debt to the ATO for $135,340.04.

TLC IT Group had a 100 percent stake in TLC IT Managed Services, 40 percent stake in TLC IP Networks and 55 percent of TLC Data Security.

At the time TLC IT Group was placed into voluntary liquidation, Alan Chapman, managing director of TLC IT Group told CRN that TLC IT Managed Services and TLC IP Networks would continue trading.

A spokesperson for the ATO said it was restricted by law from commenting on individual cases. 

The date of the next meeting is yet to be announced.