GAA Players Angry Over Tax Break Snub

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

13 February 2002

Irish Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy's scheme to award professional sportsmen and women substantial tax breaks has created something of a furore in the Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA), whose members are not included in the incentive scheme.

The tax break, announced last Thursday, allows resident professional sportspeople to claim back 40% of the total tax paid for any ten years prior to their retirement. It takes in many sports, including athletics, boxing, swimming, golf, rugby, and tennis, but excludes traditional Gaelic sports such as football and hurling, an omission which has infuriated the amateur GAA players.

Supporters of the GAA argue that its players bring just as much 'prestige' to the country as do professional sportsmen, and they should therefore be eligible for some kind of tax break in the interests of fairness. The Association is also annoyed by the provision in Mr McCreevy's Finance Bill which stipulated that monies earned through sponsorship deals and promotional activities will still be subject to income tax, arguing that this puts GAA players at a further disadvantage.

'When I first heard about the scheme, I assumed it could only apply to professional sportspeople but there must be ways in which GAA players can benefit too. It's certainly worthy of examination,' GAA President Sean McCague said earlier this week.

Former player and RTE Football Analyst, Martin Carney went further, explaining that: 'This is not about jealousy, but about an important principle. The Government are awarding a form of pension to people who are already making big money out of sport. That pension will be paid - in part - by GAA players, who have done just as much to enrich our sporting life without getting a penny.'

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