They’re seriously upset over the IRS enforcing law that Congress has passed
IRS in the hot seat over potential cash grab from Spain’s World Cup winnings: ‘It’s a rip-off’
As reigning 2026 FIFA World Cup champions, Spain won $50 million in prize money, but a large portion of that could be subject to federal taxes in the United States — potentially up to 30%.
“I think it’s a rip-off,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.
“I’m not a fan of it, but Americans have to do it. American professional athletes do it, so they knew that when they came over here.”
Income earned from activities performed in America is generally, in almost all instances, taxable by the IRS. Under tax law in the U.S., certain payments to nonresident foreign athletes are generally subject to a 30% federal withholding unless reduced by a tax treaty or a different exception.
“It’s wrong, and that kind of highlights something bigger,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said about the potential high tax rate on Spain’s prize.
Why is it wrong? American sports teams pay all that tax when they get paid for winning big games. Also when for things like college bowl games. Competing in golf tournaments. And so forth
Burchett argued the potential tax burden sends the wrong message as the U.S. prepares to host more major international sporting events, saying the country should be encouraging foreign athletes and visitors to spend money domestically rather than subjecting them to steep tax obligations.
Well, pretty much every other nation taxes the winners, as well.
Jackson (D) also criticized the broader U.S. tax code, arguing that corporations should be paying more in taxes rather than workers. He referred to it as a “classic example of what’s wrong with our taxation system.”
“They should be paying the taxes as opposed to having tax loopholes,” Jackson said. “The people, the laborers that are working, they should not have to pay 30% of their income on taxes.”
That has whatfuckall to do with soccer teams being taxed under US code as passed by Congress? He does know he can introduce legislation, right? But, hey, let’s follow what Jackson is saying and reduce the federal tax burden for the the middle and working class down to 7%, leave corporate taxes exactly where they are, because, as most know, federal taxes just get passed on to consumers. Say, I wonder if Jackson and his brother paid full taxation when they owned River North Sales and Service, LLC in Chicago, an Anheuser-Busch distributor, or take advantage of “loopholes” in the tax code? Did they pay their workers a livable wage?
I know it’s just three members of Congress (Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah is also mentioned), but, they can all submit legislation if they do not like this. They can all try and reform the tax code.
