but that was not the first time you were fined because of salary cap indescresions though was it?

Don't eat that crap. On a pint and kebab man if daveO is buying

Intrinsically linked to the pie eaters reference.

As for a few clubs around that time!

technically no. Hence being charged with going against the spirit of the cap rather than breaching it !!

So yes then.

It was a technical loophole (used in Australia) that Wigan used. The RFL then made up a new charge of "against the spirit of the cap". They then changed the cap rules so as not to allow deferred payments.

It's a bit like being fined for doing 39 mph in a 40 mph zone and the council then making it a 30 mph zone and fining you retrospectively. (a bit simplistic I know, but you get the argument)

What will be interesting is what will happen to ALL the clubs who have been misusing EBT and image right payments to players. Will that be "against the spirit of the cap" or will it be swept under the carpet.

What should happen is that ALL the clubs and ALL the players who have benefited from these payments should be named in the RL press, but I'm not holding my breath.

By all, you mean Wigan, Leeds and Warrington? And before you give us some claptrap about one of your "sources" down the pub or at an under 4's game telling you differently, no, Saints arent looking at a huge Inland Revenue retrospective tax bill like Wigan are, because we didnt abuse it like Wigan did.

Dont believe me? Wait and see.

As for the last part, I would imagine a line would be drawn under the whole matter and no fines/points deduction will be issued as its a totally different thing to what Wigan did. Wigan purposley circumvented the cap, the whole image rights thing was done within the constraints of the cap. £1.6million was still spent on wages during the year, just HMRC reveived less in tax and the players received more. Its a bit unfair to now penalise clubs who have an additional tax liability for prior years, when at the time of wages/tax, were still within the limit of the cap.

Wigan just went out and spent too much and then tried to make the RFL look like mugs. Totally different scenario to the whole image right thing.
.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, ourselves included.

I thought this one was locked tbh so I'll do that before it becomes any more embarrassing for all parties concerned.

isn't it a government ruling rather than an rfl breach though?

HMRC state that RL clubs claimed more in tax allowances for ebt's and image rights than they should have. They now want it back and are getting it.
They were within they SC rules but clearly the RFL gave bad advice to clubs over the amounts that could be claimed and they allowed be set against the SC hence the HMRC are asking for back payments.

As for Wigan's outstanding amounts. It will be paid off shortly as it comes to well under a six figure sum. Wigan are not contesting the amount as it's so small. This is likely to be one of the smallest amounts paid back if not the smallest.

As for the points deduction that's been referred to. The RFL set up an Independent Body to look at Wigan's alleged breech of the SC. They found that Wigan had not spent more than £1.6m in the season, they also confirmed that Wigan had not broken any salary cap rules. As Rouges said, they then specially invented the phrase "spirit of the salary cap" which of course is not within the rules of the SC. It was due to the "sprit etc" that Wigan were deduced league points, not because they'd spent over the SC or broken its rules.