Gary Lineker from the Freelancers organistion IPSE perspective

[pipster]

So can anyone estimate what tax he is paying on that £1.35m BBC contract then? As an employee it would be 45% on nearly all of it. Can we guess how much people save by doing it in this (entirely legal) way?

Lineker was first uncovered after the panama papers hack (the same hack that got David Cameron and quite a few others) here is the Guardian article evasion / avoidance depends on your side - buying property in Barbados via British Virgin Isles company , looks as legit as operating through a company in Cayman Islands....

He would have only paid tax on what he paid himself as a salary when working for Gary Linker Media Ltd. That would also include employers and employees NI , and he would have paid tax on his dividends (if he did any) The remainder wouldnt have incurred any taxes as it was a loop hole he jumped through. Same as jimmy Carr, paid hardly any tax - until he also caught - I think he rolled over and paid up.

Companies house should be able to give you the dividend payments (but I think you have to pay for this level of data)