GHOSTS of financial troubles past have returned to haunt corporate Christmas decorations specialist Boo Creative Consultants with one creditor commencing legal action to recover nearly $20,000 and the Australian Tax Office applying for a winding-up order.
Summer Lighting Pty Ltd has filed a Local Court summons seeking to recover $19,129 for work it did on the City of Bunbury’s Christmas decorations.
The ATO filed an application for a winding-up order with the Supreme Court of Western Australia on April 7.
However, Boo director Graeme Hall has vowed his company will rise above its present troubles.
Mr Hall said he had called for the ATO’s investigation into his company.
“We instigated the investigation into our tax situation because I was wasn’t happy with the figures we were seeing. What that investigation turned up was quite horrifying,” he said.
Mr Hall said the majority of his business’ creditors, who are owed about $100,000, had been very patient and were allowing the business to trade out of its difficulties – only the ATO and Summer Lighting had called in their debts.
This is not the first time the company has found itself in financial difficulties.
In 1995 the company’s premises were damaged in an arson attack and subsequent investigations turned up more than fire damage. It appeared the person who had been running the business at the time had left it in poor financial health.
Mr Hall was able to trade out of those difficulties, eventually paying every creditor out at 100 cents in the dollar.
However, he said the financial strain of trading out of that financial situation had left the business weakened and had contributed to its current predicament.
Industry sources say Boo has built up a solid body of work and is well regarded.
One source said Boo had recently been increasing efforts to broaden its base away from Christmas decorations.
“We worked with them on the Nova [FM] launch and they built some good sets and entrances,” he said.
From 1990 until 1995 it was responsible for the Christmas decorations in Forrest Place.
It has also won several awards for the expo stands it has created for other companies including Best Stand Computer Expo 2000.
The company was involved with the 1999 national product launch of MEZ – Swan Brewery’s first ready to drink spirit-beer combination.
It has an ongoing contract with the Burswood Resort Casino to do its Christmas decorations.
