DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight is calling for a windfall tax to be imposed on Premier League clubs that refuse to cut the salaries of highly-paid star players while cutting pay of non-playing staff on furlough.
The Committee Chair has urged the Chancellor to bring in sanctions against any PL club that continues to pursue what is described as a ‘two-tier system’ after Tuesday 7 April.
A windfall tax would allow the Treasury to recover from Premier League clubs a substantial proportion of the money paid out to players which could be used to reimburse non-playing staff.
DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP said: "We are facing an obscene situation where top players who aren’t working are continuing to see hundreds of thousands of pounds roll in each week while the staff who keep the clubs going are losing wages.
"If the Premier League isn’t going to act to resolve this crisis then the Government must step in by imposing a significant financial penalty on clubs to reimburse those hit hardest in the pocket.
"That’s why I have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak today demanding that Premier League clubs do the right thing by Tuesday next week or face the consequences."
Tottenham are the latest club to announce they are reducing wages for non-playing staff, with their chairman Daniel Levy saying on Tuesday that 550 workers would take a 20% cut for two months.
Gary Lineker, however, defended footballers for their role, when in response to a tweet by MP David Lammy calling them "criminal" he said: "It’s not criminal. Fact is players are not training together so meetings would take rime (sp) to organise.
"I’m positive most of them will want to do something to help but don’t know how, or worry about treading a lonely path. Let’s give them a chance to act before we all weigh in."
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