Darts player Rob Cross has been disqualified from directing due to unpaid taxes amounting to £450,000.
Five-Year Ban for Darts Champ Rob Cross Over Tax Evasion
Darts superstar Rob Cross has been barred from being a company director for half a decade due to his firm's refusal to cough up nearly half a million quid in taxes.
Cross, the 2018 World Champion and a top contender on the PDC tour, owed HMRC an eye-watering £465,403 when his company went belly-up in late 2023.
The 34-year-old ex-electrician, popularly known as Voltage, has been sacked as a director until 2030 following an inquiry by the Insolvency Service.
Cross has also entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), a legal arrangement binding him to pay off the debt using prize money from the darts circuit.
Kevin Read, the bigwig at the Insolvency Service, spouted off, "When directors fudge their tax obligations, it hampers the government's ability to fund essential services such as the NHS, schools, transport infrastructure, and our armed forces."
"Rob Cross's company had over £400,000 in unpaid corporation tax when it hit the skids. For more than three years, he shamelessly lifted cash from the company that should have gone to HMRC and other creditors."
The £580,000 Debt of Rob Cross Darts Limited
"This case underscores our commitment to pursue crooked directors who swindle the public purse. The rules apply equally to everyone in the business world, and we expect all directors to oblige by their legal duties."
Cross reportedly swiped £300,000 from Rob Cross Darts Limited between March 2020 and November 2023, funds that should have gone to creditors including HMRC[1][3].
His director's account was an astonishing £423,608 in the red when the company folded with debts of £579,805.
Cross won his first competition in over a year at the Dutch Masters in January and followed it up weeks later at a Players Championship event[4].
He burst onto the scene by transforming from amateur to world champion in a snap and lost to teenage sensation Luke Littler in the 2024 semi-finals at Alexandra Palace[4].
[1] - Guardian - "Rob Cross banned as company director over tax debt" - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/feb/01/rob-cross-banned-as-company-director-over-tax-debt
[2] - GOV.UK - "Avoiding paying your taxes" - https://www.gov.uk/tax-avoidance-avoiding-paying-your-taxes
[3] - HMRC - "Rob Cross: Company fined over unpaid taxes" - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rob-cross-company-fined-over-unpaid-taxes
[4] - BBC Sports - "Luke Littler: Young darts sensation storms to semi-finals" - https://www.bbc.com/sport/darts/59954609
- The taxes owed by Rob Cross's company, Rob Cross Darts Limited, significantly exceeded half a million pounds, a staggering £465,403 to be exact, which was a major contributing factor to the company's downfall in late 2023.
- While football might dominate European leagues, the world of darts also has its share of scandals, as was evident when the 2018 World Champion and PDC tour top contender, Rob Cross, was disqualified as a company director for three years due to tax evasion in 2025.
- Despite his ongoing tax issues and ban from being a company director, Rob Cross continued to excel in the sport of darts, emerging victorious in competitions like the Dutch Masters and Players Championship events, demonstrating his resilience even amidst financial struggles.
