Jody Scheckter loses UK tax appeal over £1.45m HMRC bill
Former Formula 1 champion Jody Scheckter has lost his appeal in a British tax tribunal over a £1.45 million bill and is considering further legal action.
Jody Scheckter, the only South African to have won the Formula 1 drivers’ title, has lost a tax appeal in Britain. According to Briefly News, the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) rejected his challenge to a £1.45 million assessment from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The 76-year-old has warned that he could face bankruptcy.
What the dispute is about
The case concerns a buffalo-farming partnership that Scheckter ran at Laverstoke Park, his estate in Hampshire. HMRC raised its original assessment in 2019. It ruled that the partnership’s losses could not be set against his other income.
The tribunal backed HMRC. It found that the farming operation did not satisfy the requirements for that kind of tax relief.
Scheckter plans to keep fighting
Scheckter spoke to The Telegraph after the ruling. He said the rules had not been correctly applied to his farm, and he intends to keep challenging the outcome. His remaining route is to ask for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. That step is limited to points of law, so he would have to show the tribunal made a legal error rather than simply disagree with its findings.
Briefly News said he has not ruled out further legal action.
The farm and the estate
The buffalo-farming and dairy operations at Laverstoke Park stopped trading on 31 December 2023. The business blamed unprecedented increases in energy costs for the closure.
The Hampshire estate was put on the market for £58 million in May 2025 and was still listed as of September 2026. In 2024, Scheckter also auctioned a large part of his personal racing car collection, including Tyrell and Ferrari cars from his championship era.
Scheckter won the 1979 world championship as a Ferrari driver.
What happens next
The immediate question is whether the Upper Tribunal will grant him permission to appeal. If it does, the case would be limited to legal questions. No date for any further step was given in the report.
This story is based on reporting by Briefly News.
