Rafi "refaelamit" Amit, who has generated millions of dollars' worth of winnings in online and live tournaments, has been ordered to pay income tax for his year 2007 earnings. The Income Tax Authority claim that Amit was an Israeli resident for the year in question. Even though he did not meet the minimum required days to qualify as a resident in the country, he still needs to pay income tax.
Judge Harry Kirsch ruled that the Pro Poker Player is considered a resident of Israel, justifying that Amit's extended visits to Israel, not having a permanent residence abroad, and regular fund transfers of his winnings to the country, were enough basis to warrant him tax duty.
The tax authority has demanded Amit to pay $650,000 from his 2007 earnings of $1.1 million. However, Amit successfully argued that his earnings of $1.1 million included his earnings from previous years and that he only earned $320,000 in 2007. As such, he has been required to pay 50% of that, minus the $68,000 income tax he has already paid in the USA.
In the end, Rafi Amit had to pay a total of $85,500.
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/misc/iphone-article/.premium-1.726567
