Footballers blame advisers as HMRC clamps down on avoidance

Retired Premier League players are among more than 100 footballers who face financial ruin as a result of demands from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but some stars have said the fault lies with their advisers.

The players are accused of using avoidance schemes to avoid paying tax owed, according to the Guardian. HMRC has challenged a number of schemes that, it argued, took advantage of reliefs aimed at boosting investment in the British film industry. Two of the film schemes being disputed, run by Ingenious Media, involved famous names such as Gary Lineker, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, according to the paper. But with around 70 current and former footballers involved in the Ingenious schemes alone, the names also include less famous players who are less well-off and th...