BCCI vs ICC Tax Issue: Exemptions Unlikely As Per Govt Rule, Global Body Cites 'Promised Timeline'

"The ICC and BCCI have been working in partnership to address the issue of tax exemptions for ICC events that is a requirement of the host agreement signed by all parties at the beginning of the cycle in 2015 and this work is ongoing," the spokesperson

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New Delhi: The Board of Cricket Control Of India (BCCI) and International Cricket Council (ICC) have had their share of feuds over the past on the financial implications of hosting major multi-nation cricket tournament. The two apex cricket bodies are once again at loggerheads over the issue of tax exemptions for the staging of the 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 World Cup to be held in India. The ICC and BCCI have had a long standing dispute on tax exemptions since the 2016 World T20 in India. An ICC spokesperson said that both parties are trying to reach an amicable solution. "The ICC and BCCI have been working in partnership to address the issue of tax exemptions for ICC events that is a requirement of the host agreement signed by all parties at the beginning of the cycle in 2015 and this work is ongoing," the spokesperson tod PTI. "There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket. "In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by," the spokesperson added. While the outgoing ICC chairman Shashank Manohar and chief executive Manu Sawhney have been in constant touch with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, the BCCI top-brass didn't like the tone of mail sent by the parent body's legal head Jonathan Hall. Hall, in his mail, has written about the BCCI not adhering to timelines on committing to tax exemptions as per the agreement. "The tax structure is not decided by the BCCI but by the Indian government. It is our government that decides whether exemption will be possible or not. For the record, Formula One also wasn't given tax exemption," a senior BCCI official told PTI. Prior to 2016 World T20, the BCCI got tax exemptions for global events, as stated in an earlier documentation of the erstwhile Committee of Administrators (COA).