Sports stars’ tax break

CASHED-UP sports stars have won lucrative “public fame” tax breaks worth tens of thousands of dollars a year.

Every professional sports person will be eligible to cash in on the image-rights ruling handed down yesterday by the Australian Taxation Office.

Sports stars will be allowed to direct 10 per cent of their playing income to a private trust or company, attracting a tax rate of just 27.5 per cent.

Cricket superstars such as David Warner, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc earn $2 million for national duties alone and could be eligible for windfalls of about $40,000.