Federal Court hears Perth Glory’s tax office debt has been paid in full as liquidation application withdrawn

The Australian Taxation Office has withdrawn their application to liquidate Perth Glory, as a Federal Court hearing confirmed their outstanding tax debt was paid in full. A hearing for the wind-up order was held on Friday after its initial submission in December, amid revelations the ATO were chasing approximately $1 million in outstanding debt from club chairman Ross Pelligra. But the ATO withdrew their action upon confirmation the amount had been paid, with the club ordered to pay $3376 in court costs. ATO lawyer Dominic Underwood said the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation had been paid in full since the commencement of the proceedings. When asked if there were any other creditors, Mr Underwood confirmed they had not been contacted by any. Operating on behalf of the A-League club, Moray and Agnew lawyer Sazz Nasimi did not oppose any of the decisions. The ATO had previously asked the Federal Court to put liquidators into Mr Pelligra’s A-League holding company Perth Glory Football Pty Ltd in December — a move which caused shock among club officials, who claimed they had received no prior correspondence about any outstanding debt. The tax office had said the statutory payment was posted to Perth Glory Football Pty Ltd’s registered office in suburban Keilor East in Victoria, next to the headquarters of Mr Pelligra’s construction and property group. Glory chief executive Anthony Radich has previously said on the record Pelligra had squared away the debt in the aftermath, and it was confirmed in Federal Court. Mr Pelligra took control of Glory in February last year after a drawn-out sales process overseen by receivers appointed by A-League governing body Australian Professional Leagues seven months earlier.