🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Premier League football teams have claimed millions in public money using a tax scheme designed to support innovations for the public good in science and technology
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Chelsea FC was paid more than £2 million in research and development (R&D) tax relief payments by HM Revenue & Customs between 2020 and 2023, according to disclosures in its accounts
Under the scheme rules a company can only apply if it has made a genuine advance in science or technology to benefit the overall field, not just its own business.
When Chelsea FC was asked to explain what it had done to qualify, the club declined to comment
An audit of sports teams’ accounts by The Times found that 28 top flight clubs across football, rugby and cricket have been making claims under the R&D scheme over the past five years
In total they have claimed £13 million since the end of the 2019 tax year. These payments could be taken as cash payment, or used to offset taxes, depending on a company’s financial position
Other beneficiaries have included Premiership Rugby club side Harlequins FC, which has claimed £1.3 million under the scheme since 2020, including £795,000 in payments and £530,000 in tax credits
In football’s Premier League Nottingham Forest FC claimed a tax credit of £607,000 according to its last set of accounts, whilst Fulham FC claimed £86,000 in credits between 2019 and 2021. The clubs did not respond to a request for comment
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When Chelsea FC was asked to explain what it had done to qualify, the club declined to comment
has claimed, surely