Q: Are pro athletes who are from other countries and play in the United States required to pay taxes on the money they make here?
—Talmadge Woodman, Lawrenceville
A: Athletes and entertainers who are from other countries must pay taxes and are "subject to" special withholding rules.
“This includes compensation for performances, endorsements, the sale of merchandise, and royalty, or other, income closely related to the event,” the IRS states on its website.
Athletes must pay a variety of taxes on the federal, state and local levels, often called the “jock tax,” and foreign-born athletes sometime dispute how they are taxed in the United States.
Some states tax athletes based on “duty days,” which is the amount of time they spend on work-related business in that state.
“Some states have extended jock taxes to visiting musicians, lawyers, and even touring skateboarders,” the Tax Foundation states on its website.
Q: I was under the impression that Aaron Murray plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. I haven’t heard anything about him. Where is Murray?
—Sarah Westbrook, Cumming
A: Murray, who was selected by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, is the Chiefs' third-string quarterback behind starter Alex Smith and backup Chase Daniel.
Murray hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game.
Smith has started 35 of the 37 games he’s played for the Chiefs and Daniel started one game each in 2013 and 2014.
Murray was a four-year starter at Georgia and holds the SEC career records with 13,166 yards and 121 touchdown passes.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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