JOEY Barton, the Clarets midfielder, has been named among a raft of sporting and TV stars to be involved in a £700million tax relief scheme.
The Burnley FC and Rangers star’s name appears alongside the likes of David and Victoria Beckham, TV presenters Declan Donnelly and Anthony McPartlin in Companies House files relating to finance firm Ingenious.
Under the tax relief scheme, investments were made in a number of movies, including James Cameron’s Avatar.
Sir Alex Ferguson, fellow Spice Girls Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm and ex-footballers Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Emile Heskey are also said to have been on the books of Ingenious.
Lawyers representing HM Revenues and Customs have argued before tax tribunals that the scheme was not a legitimate investment opportunity but rather a means of avoiding tax.
A ruling on the tax relief scheme was upheld this week that the incentives were not 'allowable deductions'.
This could mean that investors, thought to number more than 100, will now be facing higher tax bills, though Ingenious itself is said to be appealing the ruling.
It has not been claimed the scheme, which was also used by This Morning presenter Philip Schofield, pop star Robbie Williams and ex-Celtic and Bolton boss Neil Lennon, was doing anything illegal.
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