[maya]

22. 2. 2006, siol.net reports:
http://sportal.siol.net/default.asp?article_id=10061010602221053020

My translation (all of the grammar mistakes are mine):

Srebotnik from now on in Dubai


Maribor – Tax reforms that were made a year ago have forced the best Slovenian tennis player and one of the richest Slovenian athletes Katarina Srebotnik to look for a new place to live in. She chose Dubai, but she will remain a Slovenian citizen.



"The tax laws here are such that they don’t support top athletes. They take 50 % of our earnings and even more in the countries with which Slovenia doesn’t have a double taxation agreement. I will return to Slovenia only to visit my family and maybe to train sometimes. Sad, but true,” said Srebotnik.


Katarina Srebotnik, who will remain a citizen of Slovenia and doesn’t have a basic conditions for a United Emirates citizenship (20 years of living in the country, knowledge of Arabian and muslim faith) had so far earned 1.982.287 $ from the WTA funds, and 104.101 $ this year.

 

[Chris 84]

I don't see her problem.....other than greed that is. She clearly doesn't have to move anywhere to retain a very good lifestyle, and I would have thought that she would be among the richest Slovenians. Why should she not be taxed higher than those with low incomes?

 

[Farina Elia Fan]

good choice!

 

[ivanovic]

Yay - she might play for UAE

 

[Tichi]

I don't see her problem.....other than greed that is. She clearly doesn't have to move anywhere to retain a very good lifestyle, and I would have thought that she would be among the richest Slovenians. Why should she not be taxed higher than those with low incomes?

Perhaps because most of the tennis players don't go to school long enough to have a proper degree which would enable them do have a good job after their career.
A tennis career generally lasts for ten years and in a lot of cases, players don't earn Davenport-Clijsters-Williams-wise lots of money.
I think that 50% taxes is too much if you have to give up so much things to do your job.

 

[*JR*]

I don't see her problem.....other than greed that is. She clearly doesn't have to move anywhere to retain a very good lifestyle, and I would have thought that she would be among the richest Slovenians. Why should she not be taxed higher than those with low incomes?

If SLO doesn't have double taxation treaties with countries where she plays, she could wind up paying income tax to, lets say the UK for 2 or 3 grass tournaments, and to Slovenia @ 50% on her total winnings (or the total after subtracting tax paid to the host countries, depending on SLO law). Sure she should pay the top bracket in SLO, but @ least get to deduct tax paid to another country from her SLO tax bill, not just her gross income.

Having said that, it seems rather dishonest 2B a resident of another country purely for tax purposes. (@ least Momo really lives in SUI for example, so that's more legit. Though, speaking of taxes, so does Boris Becker). :tape:

 

[maya]

I don't see her problem.....other than greed that is. She clearly doesn't have to move anywhere to retain a very good lifestyle, and I would have thought that she would be among the richest Slovenians. Why should she not be taxed higher than those with low incomes?

I'm undecided on this issue. On one hand I can understand she wants to save as much money as she can and she has no legal duty to Slovenia. I'm glad she will remain Slovenian citizen and I don't blame her for making this decision.

On the other, taxes are very high for everybody in Slovenia (and of course even a bit higher for the ones with more money) - I think we are in the top 5 countries concerning taxation in the world.

Lots of that money goes to waste (as I imagine happens in most countries), but we do have at least theoretically free schooling for everybody (even Universities) and generous Social politic (not nearly as much as Scandinavia, but then we are not as ritch a nation) - mostly free health system (completely free for kids and students) etc. And she did benifit from that as all the rest of Slovenians did, so she can't say the country did nothing for her. But as I said, it's her decison an I wish her all the best.

 

[maya]

If SLO doesn't have double taxation treaties with countries where she plays, she could wind up paying income tax to, lets say the UK for 2 or 3 grass tournaments, and to Slovenia @ 50% on her total winnings (or the total after subtracting tax paid to the host countries, depending on SLO law). Sure she should pay the top bracket in SLO, but @ least get to deduct tax paid to another country from her SLO tax bill, not just her gross income.

Having said that, it seems rather dishonest 2B a resident of another country purely for tax purposes. (@ least Momo really lives in SUI for example, so that's more legit. Though, speaking of taxes, so does Boris Becker). :tape:

About double taxation, I'm pretty sure she pays income tax only on what she's left with after she's taxed in the country of the tournament, not that that's any better. I wish double taxation didn't exist at all.

On the other issue, living in Dubai or Slovenia, I have another longer article I'm translating now, where she implies she won't live in Slovenia anymore, but I don't know how much of that is true (she does own her own apartment - in very nice neighbourhood - in Maribor).

 

[*Jool*]

well if its better for her ...

I dt really care abt non-tennis things tho

go Kata

 

[maya]

Longer article from daily newspaper Večer (http://www.vecer.si/vecer2006/defau...006022204094668 - original Slovenian version)

(more tax clarifications and also something about Katarina's tennis plans for the near future):


The best Slovenian tennis player Katarina Srebotnik has moved to Dubai

Happy under the Arab sun

But mostly richer living there – A new slap in the face of a country for it’s tax laws, who have, after Jolanda Čeplak, driven another athlete to a foreign country.

Katarina Srebotnik has decided not to “sponsor” Slovenia with her prize money anymore.



After our best athlete, Jolanda Čeplak, chose Monaco as her permanent home, another athlete from Velenje decided this way. With that difference that she chose Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

"Slovenian tax law is un-friendly to top athletes, since it takes 50 % of our prize money. If it has an agreement with the country in which the competition takes place, it takes as much to amount in the end again to 50 %. Because of this I have decided at the end of the last year to choose Dubai for my permanent place of living. I have to think of the future. Career of a top player is short, ten years or maybe a year more, so you have to assure yourself some financial grounds for the rest of your life in that short period of time. So I’ll be less in Slovenia, since I’ll be preparing for some tournaments in Dubai, where they have good training conditions all year around, “ confirmed Srebotnik in Maribor yesterday.

Let’s look at the last case. The prize received by Srebotnik after the Antwerp tournament in which she won in doubles, together with the Russian Dinara Safina and in the singles where she lost in the 2. round was a bit less than 23.000 $. After paying Belgian and Slovenian tax the money split. If we add costs of travel and living, paying the coach and management agency (and we could easily find extra costs) Srebotnik was only left with around 5000 $.

Katarina Srebotnik has moved into a 16. place after her doubles win. “I played with Safina in the doubles for the first time and our success confirms we can play well together. The draw decided we had to play against each other in the second round. She has beaten me 3 times before and I had to admit her supremacy again this time. I’m happy with my play in Antwerp and I think they are a good sign for further tournaments.”

Srebotnik has returned from Belgium to Maribor for a brief period of time and tomorrow she’ll travel to Novi Sad where she’ll train for her performance in the tournaments “Over the pond”. “I’ll play in the Miami, Amelia Island and Charleston tournaments. I was especially successful in Charleston last year, where I reached quarter final and lost to Elena Dementieva only after a tough fight in 3 sets.”

(Writer of the article is Zmago Gomzi, translation - mistakes and all - was done by me without authorisation)

 

[*Jool*]

well I hope she'll do well in the States
and i wish she decided abt Monaco and not Dubai but it's her choice

 

[maya]

well I hope she'll do well in the States
and i wish she decided abt Monaco and not Dubai but it's her choice

But Dubai is "In" right now . That "Everybody loves Dubai" slogan must have got to her .

I hope she does well at the American tournaments, too. She has points to defend and it would be great if she was seeded at Roland Garros.

 

[Carmen Mairena]

I would be VERY happy to pay high taxes. That would mean I'm rich...

Katarina :tape: