State of Origin stars owed big money from this year's series as tax office won't play
State of Origin stars owed big money from this year's series as tax office won't play ball
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/s...-1226464395230
NRL stars have become embroiled in a taxation office row on the eve of the finals over State of Origin payments.
The game's elite players have had hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages put on hold following a recent crackdown by the taxation department.
Not one player has received a cent from this year's series, which was decided two months ago. Some are owed as much as $60,000 while their union and officials investigate ways to satisfy the tax office.
Previously, the stars had their earnings from representative football put straight on to credit cards or mortgages at a lower tax rate as a salary sacrifice. It was legal under fringe benefit tax rules but recent increases in representative player payments placed them over the threshold.
"The taxation department have warned us we can't do it any more," said Australian Rugby league CEO Geoff Carr.
"We've been ready to pay them for a while but we can't because it's illegal.
"So we contacted the players association and said we'd be happy to pay them as normal employees.
"At the moment they haven't agreed to that because the players will get less in the hand.
"There is not much more we can do about it until the association agrees on a payment method that isn't breaking tax laws."
A number of senior players have complained to their managers in recent weeks about the delay in getting paid just a couple of weeks after the independent commission signed off on a $1 billion broadcasting deal.
Players Association boss David Garnsey said he had taken legal advice.
"There are some issues I've been talking to the NSW Rugby League about," he said.
"I'm not trying to drag the chain on it and it needs to be sorted soon.
"I'm acting as quickly as possible to get the players their money."
One senior player, who asked not to be named, blasted both the association and officials over the delay.
"Most people in the workforce expect to get paid within seven days," he said.
"Footy players have mortgages, families and commitments like everyone else.
"They've had the money sitting in the bank earning interest for a couple of months. It's money we are entitled too, whichever way they are going to pay us."
One player agent said: "Some of the guys can have credit cards which are on the limit and they've budgeted to use their rep earnings. They're entitled to get paid after two months."
This is hardly the first time footballers have had their representative payments put on hold.
On last year's Kangaroo tour, some players waited up to five months to get paid.
