Chelsea & Nottingham Forest face probe after new controversy – Stefan Borson
Chelsea and Nottingham Forest were among the Premier League clubs named for claiming public money in a tax scheme designed to reward innovations in science and tech.
The Times reported last week (17 February) that Chelsea have received £2million in research and development (R&D) tax relief payments by HMRC between 2020 and 2023.
Meanwhile – Forest, Brentford, Rangers, Fulham and many more have also received payments in recent years.
Chelsea have already faced criticism from fans for reducing their losses by selling club hotels and the women’s side to a sister company – and avoiding a punishment under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
HMRC expected to probe Chelsea and Forest payments – ‘watch this space’
The scheme stipulates that companies can only apply for a grant after making significant advances in science or technology that benefit everyone, not just the company itself – but there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing from any clubs named in the Times’ investigation.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider claimed he expects claims from Premier League clubs to get “a lot of focus”.
He insisted the issue is with the HMRC scheme, not football.
Borson told Football Insider: “This scheme is known across the corporate world as being a soft scheme to get tax credits back.
“It’s quite controversial when it comes to football clubs doing it.
“There are various ways football clubs can make scientific developments – injuries, data science, transfer data – there are all sorts.
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 26 | 47 | +11 |
| 4 | Man City | 26 | 44 | +15 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 26 | 44 | +10 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 26 | 43 | +14 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 26 | 43 | +12 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 27 | 42 | -2 |
“The question is whether they form legitimate claims under the criteria presented by HMRC.
“I suspect at the higher end, these cases will get quite a lot of focus.
“In particular, Brentford announced they got £3.23million back – which equates to about £25million of qualified spending on R&D.
“We’ve got no idea whether that’s been approved by HMRC.
“Clearly, if you have high-profile issues with a scheme and they decide it’s not a good look – they will take a look at those kinds of numbers.
“It could well turn into an investigation. HMRC have investigated football clubs on various occasions, due to agent fees and PAYE issues.
“It’s a watch this space at the moment. The issue isn’t with football but with the scheme itself.”
‘Maresca under sack pressure at Chelsea’
Recruitment expert Mick Brown has told Football Insider that Enzo Maresca must make rapid improvements to his Chelsea side if he wants to avoid facing the sack.
The Blues sit seventh in the Premier League after back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Aston Villa.
Supporters have also begun to turn on the manager, with concerns that a number of key players -including Cole Palmer – have regressed under Maresca.
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