Phil Mickelson loves throwing boulders into the placid pond that is golf, and watching the ripples spill over the sides. Whether it's rules changes or course design, Mickelson isn't shy about speaking his mind. And now he's stepped outside the ropes, straight into the political arena.
Speaking after Sunday's Humana Challenge, Mickelson hinted at what could be a "drastic" change for the world of golf, and himself in particular. Thanks to his substantial earnings and his residency in California, Mickelson now falls into two sets of laws that substantially increase his taxes ... and he's not pleased.
"If you add up all the federal and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the Social Security and the state, my tax rate's 62, 63 percent," he said. "So I've got to make some decisions on what I'm going to do."
He acknowledged that he could end up leaving his home state of California. And he further agreed that the financial issues were the reason why he pulled out of an ownership team that purchased the San Diego Padres back in August.
"There are going to be some drastic changes for me because I happen to be in that zone that has been targeted both federally and by the state and, you know, it doesn't work for me right now," he said. "So I'm going to have to make some changes."
As with everything in politics, there are (at least) two ways to look at this issue. On one hand, Mickelson is one of the highest-paid athletes in sports, with earnings from tournaments and sponsorship in excess of $40 million per year. Even at 63 percent taxation, that's probably still enough to scrape by. On the other hand, why should Mickelson have to give up almost two-thirds of his income, whatever that income may be?
Mickelson has promised to address the issue in further detail at this week's Farmers Insurance Open.
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