\n<\/p>\n
\n\tEXCLUSIVE<\/strong>: Lip Sync Productions, the British film and TV investor behind titles including The Brutalist <\/em>and Viggo Mortensen\u2019s Falling<\/em>, has been named and shamed by the UK\u2019s tax authorities.<\/p>\n \n\tHM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said Lip Sync Productions, a sister company to the collapsed Lipsync post-house, was at the top of its most recently published list of \u201cdeliberate tax defaulters.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHMRC revealed that Lip Sync Productions failed to pay a \u00a314.1M ($19M) tax bill between 2019 and 2023, meaning it had been slapped with a penalty of \u00a37M. There is no suggestion that third parties involved in Lip Sync\u2019s film projects were aware of the tax default.<\/p>\n \n\tPeter Hampden, the owner and director of Lip Sync Productions, did not respond to a request for comment. Hampden\u2019s co-founder, Norman Merry, died last year after being diagnosed with cancer. <\/p>\n \n\tAn HMRC spokesperson declined to comment on the details of Lip Sync Productions\u2019 unpaid tax bill, but said: \u201cWe are committed to tackling those who deliberately default on the tax they owe. By publishing the names of deliberate defaulters and their penalties, we send a clear message that non-compliance has consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBegbies Traynor was appointed as a voluntary liquidator at Lip Sync Productions in January. Hampden continues to serve as a director of the company, as well as related party Glenthorp Limited, which was the parent company of Lipsync Post.<\/p>\n \n\tDeadline revealed last May that Lipsync Post had collapsed. Ireland\u2019s Playhouse Studios later acquired Lipsync\u2019s assets, saving dozens of jobs in the process. <\/p>\n \n\tOury Clark, the administrator appointed to handle Lipsync Post\u2019s demise, said the company had received a \u201csubstantial claim\u201d from HMRC, worth more than \u00a317.5M.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a report, Oury Clark said it was assessing the dispute with HMRC \u201cin respect of the VAT treatment of various historic transactions\u201d and \u201cthe utilisation of tax relief schemes\u201d by Lipsync Post and third-party clients.<\/p>\n