India may miss out on hosting cricket events due to tax laws

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is unlikely to host big cricket events such as the World Cup and the Champions Trophy unless the government relaxes its tax laws, the International Cricket Council (ICC) president said on Sunday.

India was scheduled to host the 2004 Champions Trophy but the event was shifted to England, where it will be held in September, because the Indian government offers no tax exemption for revenue earned from sports events held in the country.

"We'll definitely seek tax exemptions before we host an ICC event in India," ICC president Ehsan Mani told reporters.

"The ICC is not in a position to give away a big percentage of its income to any government agency."

The concern over taxes is one of the main items on the agenda when Mani and the ICC's chief executive, Malcolm Speed, meet India's national cricket board later on Sunday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) says it believes it can convince the government to change its policy.

"We're confident the government will listen to us," Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the BCCI, told reporters after a board working committee meeting.

"If they don't listen, we'll go to the public and tell them the reason for our not being able to host big events. We'll ask the people to support us," he said.

However, the Indian board wants an assurance from the ICC that every third World Cup is held in South Asia since four of the 10 test-playing countries -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka -- come from the region.

India last hosted the World Cup, jointly with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in 1996. Mani said some tax issues from the tournament had still not been sorted out.

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