Cambridge Cluster

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Bankers have not been having a good time recently and those earning more than £150k are going to be hit by higher taxes soon.  Commentators are worried that talent will move out of the UK.  It is all a little removed from the worries of the man in the street and there are few votes for caring about bankers.

However the world of football brings the problems of high earners into everyones homes as it is in the news all the time.  Henry Winter writes in a column titled “English clubs losing out to Spain’s tax system” (DT 13 June) that the income tax rate in Spain is 27% (plus a local tax) compared to the soon to be 50% tax rate in the UK.

Andrei Ashavin of Arsenal warns players coming to the UK to also remember the unexpectedly high National Insurance.  So with the relative weakness of the pound against the Euro making it more expensive for the English clubs to buy from overseas, everyone is going to need a good business plan to attract the best talent.

Perhaps football will achieve what the bankers have not been able to achieve, remind politicians that vey good people are scarce and mobile and go to the highest bidder.  A choice not open to MPs, well, not normally!