If you have a debt with HMRC and are struggling to pay, dealing with it as soon as possible is vital. HMRC takes its responsibility seriously to ensure individuals or businesses with a debt with HMRC pay on time. Debt with HMRC usually involves priority debts like income tax arrears, National Insurance, VAT, and other tax debts, which can attract severe consequences if they remain unresolved. Ignoring your debt with HMRC can force the authority to exercise its debt enforcement powers, including taking you to court, making you bankrupt, sending bailiffs, and imprisonment in extreme cases.