Cricketer Adil Rashid failed to Pay Over £100k HMRC Tax

It has been revealed that cricket star Adil Rashid failed to pay more than £100,000 in taxes.

The bowler, who was part of England’s World Cup triumph in 2019, was exposed by Inland Revenue as a “deliberate defaulter”.

Rashid has a ‘central’ contract with the England team where stars are paid around £1 million a year.

The Bradford-born cricketer defaulted on his tax returns over four years from 2013-2017.

He has been fined £36,608.13 for the misdemeanour and publicly shamed in the latest tax evader list from HMRC.

Rashid’s name appears in the public list alongside restaurateurs, builders and second-hand car salesmen.

A HMRC spokesperson said:

“The majority of businesses and individuals pay the tax that they owe, but for the minority who refuse to pay, HMRC has a range of tools available.

“We are able to publish the names of those penalised under civil procedures for deliberately defaulting on certain tax obligations.

“This is about influencing behaviour by encouraging defaulters to engage with HMRC.”

Rashid, a father of one who lives with his parents and family in Bradford, was also ordered to pay £100,280.89 in back taxes on top of the fine.

However, Rashid told the Daily Mail that his non-payment was a “mistake” and denied he had avoided tax deliberately.

He revealed that he was stunned to find that the taxman had targeted him.

He said: “I was shocked when I found out. But it was a simple mistake – there is nothing else to it.

“As a player, you just play and leave it to the accountant.”

But an Inland Revenue source said that tax officers worked on the premise that it was ultimately the responsibility of those who owed tax and not those who worked to help them.

Adil Rashid explained: “Everything was paid up and I told England about it.

“I have nothing to hide. If there is something that I had to hide, I would not be who I am.”

“I am an England cricketer – why would I not pay my tax?

“Where would it leave me? There is no need for that for me personally.”

He went on to say: “HMRC wrote me a letter and I sorted it out straight away.

“My tax is up to date now. Obviously we had to pay a few fines but that is the nature of the thing.”

Rashid said it was a mistake made by his accountant and that he had employed a new consultant to manage his tax returns.

Rashid made his Test debut against Pakistan in October 2015 and has toured the West Indies and South Africa this year. He has been capped more than 150 times by England.

He has also played cricket in the UEA and Bangladesh’s Premier League with the Dhaka Dynamites.