Swiss Town Pursues Russian Tennis Star For Unpaid Tax

by Tatiana Smolenskaya, Tax-News.com, Moscow

15 August 2006

Retired Russian tennis star Yevegeny Kafelnikov is being pursued by local tax authorities in Switzerland for an unpaid bill totalling almost EUR100,000 euros, relating to his time living in the country.

Christian Grasser, the financial administrator of the town of Moehlin has stated that Kafelnikov owed the tax on a property he bought there in 2001, and for the period he lived in the town between 2003 and 2004.

Grasser has confirmed reports that the property has been impounded pending payment of the debt.

"We simply needed some guarantee and didn't want to wait too long," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

For his part, Kafelnikov, the former winner of the Australian and US Open Championships, has been quoted in the Russian media as saying that he has nothing to hide and is waiting for the Swiss authorities to discuss the tax debt with him.

“It would be stupid to refuse to admit what is true,” he said according to Izvestia. “I have not been to Switzerland for two years, and saved a huge penalty tax."

“I am not hiding, my phone is on. Anybody can get through to me. Had they indeed wanted to find me — they would have done it long ago,” he added, accusing the Swiss authorities of sensationalising the issue.

Kafelnikov said that he will settle the EUR93,000 debt as soon as he has found a buyer for his Swiss property.

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