Novelist’s firm wound up over failure to pay €83,000 tax demand

The High Court has wound up the company which provides the services of writer Ann O'Donnell, whose pen name is Jax Miller, over failure to pay a Revenue Commissioners demand for €83,000.

Ms O’Donnell’s debut novel Freedom’s Child was published in 2015 by UK publisher HarperFiction.

The Revenue petitioned the court to appoint a liquidator to Jax Miller Unlimited company, formerly known as Jax Miller Ltd, after the firm failed to satisfy a demand for €83,362 in unpaid PAYE/USC/LPT, Corporation Tax and interest issued by Revenue last March.

On Tuesday, Ms Justice Caroline Costello agreed the company was insolvent and unable to pay its debts.

The judge said she was satisfied to make orders winding up the firm and appointing Myles Kirby as liquidator of the company.

It has a registered address at Ardeen House, Marine Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

The application by Revenue, represented by Arthur Cunningham, was not contested.

The company's directors are Ann O'Donnell and her husband John O'Donnell, of New Inn, Enfield Co Meath.

In a letter, Mr O’Donnell, who was in court, said the company had got into a difficult situation into which they had not intended to get.

The company had no assets and no income to speak of for the last two years, he said.

The company had received advance payments for a two-book deal in 2014, the court heard.

The first book was published in 2015 but only had moderate sales worldwide. The second book was unexpectedly rejected by the publishers and the writer was subsequently dropped by her agent William Morris Endeavour in 2017.

Mr O’Donnell said his wife is currently in the US seeking to get her book published while he is working in a petrol station.