Football Referees Win Tax Case Over Employment Status

PMGOL argued against the HMRC that most referees should be considered self-employed.GETTY IMAGES

English football referees "have shown a red card to the taxman" after winning a legal battle over a £584,000 ($755,395) penalty charge in a "landmark case about the nature of employment," according to Ahmed & Marriage of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. "successfully argued against" U.K. tax authority HMRC in a recent tax tribunal case that "most referees should be considered self-employed and entitled to pay a lower rate of national insurance." The decision "lands a blow against the tax authority." The ruling sets a precedent for up to 30,000 football referees in England "as well as tens of thousands of individuals officiating other sports." It also has implications for workers in other fields -- including media, medicine and professional services -- where rules imposed on them by a regulator may previously have been "interpreted as an indication that they are employed" (FT, 9/6).