Strike Threat in La Liga

Spanish clubs have threatened to go on strike following the announcement of Spanish Government plans to remove tax laws that give La Liga a big advantage over the English Premiership. The so-called 'Beckham Law' allows high-earning foreigners to pay 24 per cent income tax instead of the 43 per cent levied on locals. The Spanish League (LFP) have warned that their clubs will face a bill of more than £90m and could kill the competition. The law coincided with David Beckham signing for Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2004. It was designed to attract foreign executives to the country, but has helped Real Madrid and Barcelona to sign some of the best players in the world on contracts that would not be affordable to rivals across Europe. The law, due to come into effect on 1 January, would affect foreign players earning more than €600,000 a year. It would instantly add £2m a year to Cristiano Ronaldo's contract at the Bernabeu. The LFP calculate that the reform would add €100m to the bill for Spanish football. A players' strike is one of the responses being considered by the LFP.

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