For quite sometime now, things haven't been going well between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The ongoing rift began when ACC (Asian Cricket Council) chief and BCCI secretary Jay Shah expressed the probability of India not traveling to Pakistan for the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup that will be played in Pakistan in the year 2023. In reply, the PCB did not hold itself back and said that the BCCI can't have things their own way and threatened to boycott the ODI World Cup that is scheduled to be played in India in the year 2023.
Pakistan Cricket Board's Stand
Amid everything happening around the 2023 World Cup and Asia Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja didn't mince words as he blamed the International Cricket Council for not intervening and doing enough to resolve the matter. The PCB chief went ahead and also blamed the ICC for not doing enough to resolve cricketing ties between both nations. Things are looking pretty bleak as far as India's hosting rights are concerned. Reports have it that the ICC might not have any choice but to move the World Cup out of India if a few tax-related matters are not resolved at the earliest.
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What is the fuss all about?
Back in 2016, the global cricket governing body ICC managed to host the World Cup in India only after they received an interim tax benefit from Indian tax authorities. The ICC was allowed to hold a 10.3% surcharge from India’s revenue share and the BCCI is fighting a legal battle over it right now. As far as the 2023 World Cup is concerned, the ICC has managed to procure yet another interim tax order, but it is now being said that the BCCI is not too happy with how the recent developments have gone. The ICC has asked the BCCI to provide required tax solutions, but the fact of the matter is that the Indian government did not agree to any tax exemption in 2016 and as far as the 2023 World Cup is concerned, there have been no such indications.
ICC's policies
It is in ICC policies to get the host nation to procure all the required tax exemptions from their respective governments. The cricket board reportedly has informed the ICC that nothing can be done in this regard. In 2016 the Indian government refused any kind of tax exemptions and the BCCI lost close to INR 190 crore (US$22m) which was deducted by the ICC from India's revenue share. Looking at the magnitude of the 2023 World Cup, the Indian government might yet again deny tax exemption and hence the fate of India's hosting rights as of now hangs in balance
