High taxes keeping stars away from Britain, says player’s agent
TRIPLE Olympic champion Usain Bolt said he will not compete at next month’s Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace because of Britain’s tax laws.
“I am definitely not going to run (in London),” the Jamaican sprinter said today ahead of Friday’s Diamond League meeting in Paris. Asked if it was because he would lose more money than he would earn from running in London, Bolt replied: “That’s what my agent told me.”
Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, said the British tax law stipulates that foreign sports stars have to pay taxes on their worldwide endorsements, a situation that “has kept a lot of the big stars in other sports away from Britain”.
Simms did not say how much Bolt would have been paid for competing in London. The Jamaican will earn $250,000 (£166,000) for running the 100m in Paris.
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