VAT wants a piece of the action - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Thu., November 22, 2007 Kislev 12, 5768

Israel Time: 02:37 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Rosner's Domain

Diplomacy

Defense

Jewish World

Opinion

National

Print Edition

Advertising

Books

Arts & Leisure

Business

Real Estate

Easy Start

Magazine

Week's End

Anglo File

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

VAT wants a piece of the action

By Hadar Horesh

The customs agency is seeking to levy a new tax worth tens of millions of shekels on soccer clubs that import foreign players, the Israel Football Association claimed yesterday. The IFA has already helped clubs petition the courts against this demand.

Since Arcadi Gaydamak took over Beitar Jerusalem, competitiveness - and thus salaries - has jumped significantly, and the tax authorities apparently want in.

	Advertisement

The controversial levy involves the "player card" a club pays to other teams to acquire their players. The tax authorities consider this the purchase of an asset, which by law requires paying value-added tax. They are demanding payments dating back to 2002.

Each team can have up to five foreign players. Teams pay a one-time fee of up to $500,000 for the card.

The clubs' petition argues "a player is not an asset, a person is not goods, and human trafficking is forbidden by Israeli law." The clubs claim the payment is compensation to the club that invested in training the player. Trading a player involves breaking a contract, and that means paying a fine.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Radical redcoats
	U.K. radical left wing is calling for a one-state solution.


	Bush goes nuts
	U.S. demands Israel halts illegal Iranian pistachio imports.

Today Online


	U.K. radical left sees one-state solution to Mideast conflict
	Responses: 293


	Akiva Eldar: Demand for recognition of Jewish State was made hastily
	Responses: 100


	Amira Hass: Failure to free more prisoners is a blow to peace
	Responses: 87


	Rightist MKs slam PM's move to transfer armored vehicles to PA
	Responses: 78


	Rosner: Annapolis could be an unnecessary failure
	Responses: 37

More Headlines
22:57 Rice: U.S. will try to close Israeli-Palestinian peace deal in the next year


22:12 Police to decide Sunday whether Olmert should be indicted for fraud


23:23 Barak: Israel mustn't allow itself to be blamed if Annapolis fails


00:49 Study: Young U.S. Jews most comfortable when surrounded by non-Jews


22:28 U.S. demands Israel crack down on illegal Iranian pistachio imports


21:53 441 Palestinians to be released Sunday from Ketziot prison


23:01 U.S. man refusing to testify in Hamas funding case jailed for 11 years


21:37 Ex-chief justice slams Friedmann's plan to curtail court's power


01:11 Haifa cat lover appeals court's ban on feeding strays