I guess some people don't even like a flat tax.

Perhaps he wanted a cap, or it to only apply to games in Korea?

FYI the marginal income tax rate in South Korea for earnings over 80 million Won (£46k, $67k) is 35%.

3-5% doesn't strike me as too excessive, though I can see for a top pro with big winnings it becomes a lot. But I think that's part of the deal of pro associations: they exist to support and nurture pros and when you join when you are at the beginning of your career they are taking a bet on you: you might end up a failure and not win anything, or you might be a huge success, and the later will subsidise the former. Does anyone know what Lee's objections were, or if he proposed a different system that was rejected? Perhaps he wanted a cap, or it to only apply to games in Korea? I seem to recall his previous fracas was related to his earnings from playing in the Chinese league? Coming after the KBA involvement with organising the AlphaGo match though does seem a bit off...

That is a good point. I understand he needs to pay a percentage of his income to the association as an obligation. On the other hand, there is a cap to the benefit he could enjoy from the association when he reaches retirement. So he is effectively subsidize other players, which may appear quite unfair.

That is a good point. I understand he needs to pay a percentage of his income to the association as an obligation. On the other hand, there is a cap to the benefit he could enjoy from the association when he reaches retirement. So he is effectively subsidize other players, which may appear quite unfair.

What is a 'foreign tournament'? Does that include the Chinese league? Lee in the past had dispute with the same organization regarding his earnings from China.

"한국기원과의 충돌을 원하지 않는다"고 말한다. "외국 주최 대회 출전 수익 중 10%를 납부하는 기원 발전기금 등 기원의 다른 정책은 대부분 그대로 따를 작정"

"I don't want to class heads with the Hanguk Kiwon," he said. "Paying 10% development fee out of the earnings from tournaments hosted in foreign countries, or the other Kiwon policies, for the most part, I intend to follow.

I do not know the details, but it could easily be fair if Lee agreed to proportional fees at the beginning of his career. You have a cohort of young pros who face an uncertain future. A setup by which they pool a certain percentage of their winnings for retirement, most of which will be paid by the big winners, is fair, as they do not know who those winners will be. Without such guarantees it would be more difficult to get young people to become pros.

I do not know the details, but it could easily be fair if Lee agreed to proportional fees at the beginning of his career. You have a cohort of young pros who face an uncertain future. A setup by which they pool a certain percentage of their winnings for retirement, most of which will be paid by the big winners, is fair, as they do not know who those winners will be. Without such guarantees it would be more difficult to get young people to become pros.

Edit: Let me underscore what everybody knows. Baduk is one of those professions where the monetary payoff for differences in ability is not proportional to those differences, but is concentrated at the top. The winnings of the average pro (the median) is significantly less than the average winnings (the mean).

Does he pay another cut of his winnings to the Hankuk Kiwon?

for those go player who think 3~5 % is not much... please send 3% of your earning to my bank account.