The Board of Control for Cricket in India has warned the International Cricket Council against moving the 2021 Champions Trophy and the 2023 World Cup out of India, Mumbai Mirror reported.
The BCCI was responding to a mail from the ICC, who threatened to move the marquee events away from India if they did not guarantee tax exemption. The tax costs for the 2016 World Twenty20, which was staged in India, amounted to $23 million.
“The BCCI will view any such move seriously,” the BCCI letter to the ICC stated, according to the report.
The ICC had also threatened to deduct money from BCCI’s revenue share if the tax exemption is not obtained from the Indian government, the report said. The $23 million the world body is seeking is the 10% tax deducted at source by broadcaster Star Sports, the report added.
“The exemption was not the BCCI responsibility, it is between Star and the ICC,” the report quoted a BCCI official as saying. “We’ve only said that we’ll try our best, which we have. If we had given any assurance in any meeting, the ICC could have shown us the minutes.”
The BCCI insist they never guaranteed tax exemption to the ICC on behalf of the Indian government. The Indian board’s official also reportedly said they are prepared for a legal battle with the ICC and are ready to invoke the Members Participation Agreement.