Thecontroversial Spanishscheme to
attract foreignsportsstarsbyoffering
them taxprivilegeshas finallybeen
kickedout in thegovernment’s
latest reforms. Passed in2005,
thedecreebecamewidely
knownas the ‘BeckhamLaw’
after theEnglish footballer
DavidBeckham took
advantageof itwhenhe
signed forRealMadrid.
Initiallydesigned to
attract skilled foreign
workersandprofessional
athletesother than footballers,
itwasSpain’sLaLiga that
profitedmost from luringbig
names. The lawstatedsuch
individualswere liable topay tax
at non-resident ratesof 24per
cent insteadof theaverage
Spanish income tax rate,which
was thenaround43per cent.
Spain’sprevioussocialist government
reduced theprivileges tosomedegree
by introducinga€600,000ceilingon
incomeonwhich foreignathletes
couldbenefit from the
reduced tax rate. This,
perhaps inevitably,
becameknownas the
‘RonaldoLaw’, after
CristianoRonaldo,
thePortuguese
RealMadridstar.
The latest reformmeansSpain’s
inland revenuedepartmentwill take
amuchbigger chunkof footballers’
paycheques: theywill pay thesame
45per cent rateasanySpain-based
personearningmore than€60,000
ayear. Thiswill presumablybecome
knownas the ‘SuarezLaw’, now that
the troubledstriker (left)will bemaking
themove toBarcelona.Maybe it’s time
someone tookabiteout of him.
spaintakesabigbiteoutoffootballers’cash
the
numbers
€3,181
Thepriceof the 18-carat
gold iPhonecasebearing
the imageof theRussian
leaderVladimir Putin, createdby
ItalianbrandPerlaPenna.Others
immortalisedby thesephones
includeLeonardodaVinci,
MuhammadAli andSteveJobs.
€2
bn
RevenuesAdidaspredicts itwill
make from football products in2014,
following theWorldCup–up from
€1.7bn in2012and€1.5bn
in2010,when
the tournament
wasplayed in
SouthAfrica.
€2
bn
€1.7
bn
€1.5
bn
GETTY IMAGES
«An unbeatable price, beyond argument» (
Pointure Magazine)
«A rock-bottom value for money» (
Capital Magazine)
GoodyearWelted
BlakeWelted
1 pair
139
€
The 2
nd
pair of your choice
89
€
OUR STORES
Brussels
Galerie de la Porte Louise / M° Louise
Paris 4°
35 boulevard Henri IV / M° Bastille
Paris 7°
39 boulevard Raspail / M° Sèvres-Babylone
Paris 8°
76-78 av. des Champs Elysées / M° George V
Paris 8°
4 rue Chauveau Lagarde / M° Madeleine
Paris 17°
Palais des Congrès / M° PorteMaillot
Lyon 1°
20 rue Lanterne / M° Hôtel de Ville
Lyon 2°
4 rue Childebert / M° Bellecour
Marseille 6°
32 rueMontgrand / M° Estrangin Préfecture
Annecy
7 rue Sommeiller
SHOP ONLINE
WWW
.BEXLEY.
COM
- Leader since 1996 -
Shoes, Shirts, Polos, Pullovers, Belts,Watches,
Leather Goods, Accessories, Perfumes
Shipping to over 90 countries
Red Cedar
Shoe Trees
1 pair
29
€
2 pairs
39
€
4 pairs
59
€
More than 400 000 Customers
QUA L I T Y FOR MEN
.
com
