NBA Stars Losing Hefty Amounts of Their Salary to the Taxman

Bankrupt

Just about everyone knows that professional athletes make a ton of money. Whether you agree with athlete salaries or not, the fact is those hefty numbers you always see reported when an athlete signs a new deal aren’t really all that they’re cut out to be. Oh sure, they are making a lot of money, but they are also paying quite a large tax bill. In some cases, that bill can put a huge dent in their actual earnings.

According to a new report, when determining whom the highest paid NBA player is, it depends on which numbers you use. Kobe Bryant earns more than any other NBA player, coming in with a salary of $23 million this year. However, if you look at his tax bill, which is estimated at $11.4 million, then his actual take home pay is only $12.1 million. That means he is paying close to half of his salary to the taxman.

Several factors played a role in determining these tax numbers, including where a player lives, and where he plays both his home and road games. Road games play a big role in the equation because some cities enforce the so-called “jock-tax” on individuals who come to the area to work. Pro athletes schedules are easy to track, so these cities can easily implement this tax.

There’s no question that NBA players are well compensated for their services, but remember, most players are giving a huge percentage of their income back in taxes, thus reducing how much they actually take home by a large portion. Of course, these tax numbers are an estimate and there are certain measures these players can take to help reduce their tax bill. So they might be able to take more home than estimated.

Likewise, if you need help finding the all of the best ways to save on your tax bill, then contact. GROCO today.

Posted in ,

Saving for Retirement: 5 Steps to Building Significant Wealth

Saving for Retirement: 5 Steps to Building Significant Wealth Are you saving enough money for retirement? Do you know how much money you need to accumulate in order to retire? Are you concerned about how you should be saving for retirement? The simplicity of these questions can lead many people to believe that there is…

The Bypass Trust: Using Disclaimers to Manage Large IRA Balances

The Bypass Trust: Using Disclaimers to Manage Large IRA Balances

The Bypass IRA Trust: Using Disclaimers to Manage Large IRA Balances By Mary Kay Foss California CPA, December 2001Trying to fund a bypass trust can be problematic if clients only have a residence and a large retirement plan as their major assets. On the surface, a residence isn’t a good asset for a bypass trust…

Tax Break for College Tuition Payments

Tax Break for College Tuition Payments    If you are writing a college tuition check, there may be a hidden tax break that will allow you to deduct a part of your college tuition payment. In order to do this, you must utilize a ‘Section 529’ College Savings Plan in one of the 26 states…

Cost-Sharing Arrangements – Appeals Court Rules Against Xilinx

Cost-Sharing Arrangements – Appeals Court Rules Against Xilinx Taxpayer loses the Xilinx Case (click this link to see the complete Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Decision of 5/27/09) in the Court of Appeal on May 27, 2009.Subject to further appeal to the Supreme Court (which almost never happens with tax related cases), the tax benefits of…