MICKELSON SORRY FOR RANT OVER CALIFORNIA TAXES

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By JAMES CORRIGAN

Tiger Woods has sided with Phil Mickelson revealing that California’s tax rules forced him to quit his home state.

Mickelson felt obliged to issue an apology on Tuesday after causing controversy at the weekend with his threat to make “drastic changes” because of increases in the federal and California tax rates.

Some experts even speculated that the 42-year-old was about to retire from the game, although as he is estimated to have earned more than $45m in 2012 that must be doubted. Following Woods to Florida, where there is no state income tax, is a far more likely move.

Mickelson claimed he would be paying more than 60 per cent of his income. “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 per cent,” Mickelson said at the Humana Challenge, where he finished 37th.

“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.” Inevitably, Mickelson came in for criticism from sections of the media. The four-time major winner indicated he would go into further depth about what these “changes” may amount to in his scheduled press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open near his home in San Diego. But the statement from his PR team specified this would not now be the case.

“Finances and taxes are a personal matter and I should not have made my opinions on them public,” Mickelson said. “I apologise to those I have upset or insulted and assure you I intend to not let it happen again.”

The world No 2 does not understand why Mickelson should apologise. “I moved out of here [California] back in ’96 for that reason,” Woods said at his own press conference.
Woods tees it up at the scene of his famous 2008 US Open win after missing the cut last week in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile the Qatar Masters begins today in Doha, where the field includes Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and last year’s winner Paul Lawrie