28 Oct 2009Stadium tax hikes 'will increase season ticket prices'

Football Finance News | Football Supporters News

Plans to increase local tax rates for English football clubs could push season ticket prices up next season, it has been claimed.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Manchester United's rates at Old Trafford are set to increase by £1.3 million, while Liverpool face an extra £746,500 in tax payments for Anfield.

Clubs in the Championship will also be affected by the hikes, with Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium seeing an increase of more than £300,000.

According to the newspaper, some clubs could find that their rates go up by as much as 220 per cent due to a new valuation system for business premises planned by the government.

"If clubs pass on these extra costs, it could mean even higher ticket prices for fans," shadow communities and local government minister Justine Greening told the publication.

Several English Premier League clubs slashed the cost of season tickets in an attempt to boost attendances earlier this year, with Blackburn Rovers cutting prices by up to £100 for the 2009-10 campaign.

Written by Paul Roberts

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