体坛英语新闻：Spain sets low taxes to soccer clubs

MADRID, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Spanish is the country from the European Union (EU) with the lowest taxes for a soccer club hiring foreigner players, the consultancy Ernst & Young Abogados said.

    After Spain comes the Netherlands, while France registers the highest taxes for a foreign player, the Ernest & Young said in a communique published on Tuesday by local press.

    Ernest & Young made a report on the taxes applied to the soccer teams from Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain with foreign players.

    A soccer player charging two million euros (2.6 million U.S. dollars) per year will have a total cost of 5.5 million euros (7.2 million dollars) for a French club.

    While for a Spanish club the total cost will be of 2.68 million euros (3.5 million dollars), almost half than French clubs.

    This special regime exists since 2004 in Spain for the people who for working reasons got a fiscal residency, this law is also called "Law Beckham."

    This law promotes foreign companies, directives and professionals to arrive to Spain and it has valid fiscal benefits like in other countries from the EU.

    The law was called "Law Beckham" because it started to be valid at the same time when British soccer player David Beckham arrived to the Spanish club Real Madrid.