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FC Barcelona loses a dispute about tax advantages before the ECJ

2021-03-04T13:16:52.068Z


Four Spanish clubs have been taxed lower than the competition for years. The European Court of Justice ultimately rejected this approach. In addition to Barça, Real Madrid are also threatened with additional payment.


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FC Barcelona logo

Photo: Daniela Porcelli / imago images / ZUMA Press

In the dispute over tax advantages for Spanish football clubs, FC Barcelona suffered a defeat in the last instance.

The European Court of Justice overturned a ruling by the lower EU court that would have saved FC Barcelona and three other professional clubs back payments.

The EU Commission has therefore rightly classified a tax regime applicable to four Spanish professional football clubs as state aid.

In 2016, the Brussels competition watchdogs rated it as an “inadmissible financial advantage” that FC Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Osasuna in Spain had been classified as non-profit organizations for around 20 years, whose profits are taxed five percent lower than the one GmbH.

Back payments of up to five million euros per club

Under a 1990 law, all Spanish professional sports clubs were forced to transform into sports corporations.

An exception was made for clubs that had generated a surplus in the tax years before the law was passed.

In order to reverse the preferential treatment, the EU Commission ordered the subsequent payment of the unpaid taxes.

According to their calculations, it could go up to five million euros per club.

The exact amount must be determined by the Spanish authorities, it said.

FC Barcelona had brought an action against the decision of the Commission and in 2019 initially received law from the EU court.

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mfu / sid / dpa

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2021-03-04

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