In the UK, they won't - at least not if you're a relatively small business. I've found HMRC surprisingly accommodating. Which I guess is why some people conside

In the UK, they won't - at least not if you're a relatively small business. I've found HMRC surprisingly accommodating. Which I guess is why some people consider it a valid way to extend themselves some extra cash flow funding. It's still a very bad sign and generally correlated with the business remaining small, failing, defaulting on other debts, etc. But it's the CEO themselves who's sinking their business there, not HMRC (at least I've never observed HMRC going after a small business in this way and "seizing everything" - even though I've frequently observed entrepreneurs who were chronically late with their taxes for years.