Tax authority seeks Roki Hockey bankruptcy over unpaid taxes

Finland’s Tax Administration has filed for the bankruptcy of Roki Hockey Oy, a Mestis ice hockey club, over unpaid taxes, Yle reports.

The application was submitted to the Lapland District Court on Monday, September 21, according to the insolvency register.

Chief executive Mika Toivola said the unpaid amount was large by the club’s standards and acknowledged that the club was close to bankruptcy.

However, he said Roki Hockey still had a chance to settle its debts. The Mestis season has just begun, and paying the taxes is the club’s top priority because otherwise its operations will end, Toivola said.

The club has had to prioritise which bills to pay. Toivola said employee salaries were given priority and had been paid in full and on time.

Toivola has been the club’s chief executive for five months. He said the difficult financial situation dated back further, with unpaid bills accumulating over several years. The club has been making payments throughout the summer.

“I have said all along that the financial situation is challenging. Many things have to be handled differently, and that process has now begun,” Toivola said.