The cash awash Board of Control for Cricket in India, which plays host to the upcoming 50-over World Cup later this year, may well be ready to “bite the bullet” and dip into its coffers to close the matter of the taxes the government proposes to levy on revenues from the mega event.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the tax exemption has been part of the host’s agreement the BCCI signed with the ICC in 2014, when three men’s events were awarded to India: the 2016 T20 World Cup, the 2018 Champions Trophy (later changed to 2021 T20 World Cup, which was moved to the UAE and Oman due to the pandemic) and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The agreement “obligates” the BCCI to help the ICC (and all its commercial partners involved in the tournament) secure tax waivers.
No tax waivers are forthcoming though as last year the ICC was informed by the BCCI that the Indian tax authorities would levy a 20% tax (excluding surcharges) for its broadcast revenue from the 2023 World Cup.
In a note distributed to its members – state associations – the BCCI pointed out that any tax “incurred” by ICC would be “adjusted” against the Indian board’s revenues from ICC’s central revenue pool, the website further reported.
As for what the tax burden tallies to, the ICC’s estimated broadcasting income from the 2023 World Cup is $533.29 million. Taking the the tax component to be 21.84%, as desired by the Indian tax authorities, that works out to $116.47m (Rs 963 crore).
World Cup 2023 dates, venues
The World Cup is expected to begin on October 5 and end on November 19, ESPNcricinfo reports, as too that the BCCI has shortlisted at least a dozen venues, with the final set to take place at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
Apart from Ahmedabad, the list also includes Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, and Mumbai. Over the course of 46 days, the tournament will feature 48 matches, including three knockouts.
Aside from the title match, the BCCI has yet to announce any game venues or the two or three cities where teams will play warm-ups. The delay in finalising the venues is due to the complications caused by the monsoon season receding at various points across India.
The ICC usually announces World Cup schedules at least a year in advance, but this time it has also been waiting for the BCCI to obtain necessary clearances from the Indian government. This includes two critical issues: obtaining a tax exemption for the tournament and obtaining visa clearance for the Pakistan team, which has not played in India since early 2013, except at ICC events.
The BCCI is said to have assured the ICC’s quarterly meetings last weekend in Dubai that visas for the Pakistan contingent would be cleared by the Indian government.
