Tax Impact of the Premier League Report Released

The International Sports Tax Association (ISTA), in collaboration with football finance expert Kieran Maguire, today publish a comprehensive analysis of the tax impact of the Premier League.

The Tax Impact of the Premier League Report highlights the tax contribution that the Premier League has made over the last 30 years since its inception in 1992.

The report states that £32 Billion in taxes have been collected over 30 years of the Premier League; that the so called, “big six” contributed almost 50% of this and that Chelsea FC have been the largest tax contributor over the same period.

Key Highlights:

• Clubs in the Premier League have contributed an estimated £32 Billion in taxes over 30 years: an estimated £25.6 billion in employment taxes have been collected by HMRC from clubs in the top flight – an upside to high player wages. £6.4 billion has been collected in VAT from broadcasting and matchday ticket sales.

• Chelsea FC beats Manchester City to the top spot as largest tax contributor over 30 years of Premier League: the report estimates that HMRC has collected £25.6 billion in employment taxes from the 52 clubs that have played in the top tier of English football. Burnley made it into the Top 20 all-time tax contributors despite only 9 seasons in the top flight with an estimated £324 million collected.

• Big 6 are top tax contributors in Premier League history: Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. Spurs have contributed 50% of the employment taxes collected over the last 30 years. Large player wage bills have contributed to high amounts of taxes collected by HMRC.

ISTA Director Sofia Thomas, said;

“As our report makes clear, huge sums of money are flowing into the UK economy as a result of the Premier League’s global appeal. This is likely to increase further as more matches and bigger stadiums will drive higher revenues in the future.”

“It’s also worth noting that whilst there’s often a lot of negativity around player wages, this ignores the fact that much of this pay goes to the state in the form of employment taxes.”

Co-author Kieran Maguire from the University of Liverpool, said;

“Football has become the biggest ticket in town as demonstrated by Premier League matchday seat occupancy rates of over 98%. Whilst clubs have a broader responsibility to sell tickets at affordable prices to fans, there is still scope to increase the tax benefits to the UK from one of its most recognised brands.”

Download a copy of the Tax Impact of the Premier League Report

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