No Tax Perk for Sneijder as Turkey Tackles Soccer Splurge
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It took lots of cash and a government tax perk to lure soccer stars such as Didier Drogba to Istanbul. Turkey’s clubs may soon be lacking both.
In an interview in Ankara last week, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said he’d eliminate the privileged 15 percent flat tax for soccer players, forcing them to pay the 35 percent rate applicable to others in their income group instead. The proposal is the latest blow to a league spending beyond its means while battling allegations of match fixing, budgetary impropriety and tax favoritism.