People have hit out at the HMRC after it’s revealed how much money Luke Littler will actually be taking home from the World Darts Championship.
The 16-year-old prodigy is clearly the man of the hour following his unexpected and record-breaking World Championship run.
The teenager from Cheshire has captured the hearts of sports fans around the world after wiping out seasoned veterans at this year's PDC World Darts Championship.
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But sadly for Littler, it was world-number-one Luke Humphries who came out on top in last night's (3 January) final with a 7-4 victory.
Although Humphries won, Littler still made history as the youngest ever player to compete in the tournament and make it to the final - as well as receiving a hero’s reception.
Speaking of the experience after last night's final, Littler told the press: “It’s been unbelievable, I just wanted to win one game and come back after Christmas, that was the only goal I set, so this is a massive bonus.
“No one likes losing, I have not really lost much, so to lose on that stage I can’t really be angry, the only thing I am angry about is that I lost a lot of legs on my throw and I was just chasing Luke.
“I have won six games here so why can’t I go and win seven here in years to come. I have gained a lot of experience and stage experience, I am in the top 32 now so I could be in everything.
“The past three to four weeks have been unbelievable and now I just can’t wait to go home. I’m sorry I couldn’t give the crowd what they wanted.”
Despite narrowly missing out, Littler comes away from the competition with not just celebrity status and a massive following, but a bucket load of cash too.
As a runner up, Littler will be given a whopping £200,000, while Humphries will take away a tidy £500,000 prize.
However, according to investment platform Saxo, their estimates suggest that Littler will have to pay £76,203 in tax, as well as £7,330 in National Insurance - which means his winnings will be sliced by almost half.
His take home pay is also estimated to be around £116,467.
And HMRC also made reference to Littler's win in a tweet, writing: "Big congrats to Luke on his fantastic run to the final. We can confirm the existence of income tax."
X (formerly Twitter) users were not impressed with the joke, however, as one person commented: "Please take the intern away from the laptop, you’re an official government department not a standup comedian."
"Don’t we know it. Stay in the shadows HMRC. No witty banter. You should be seen and not heard," a second said.
"Quite an unpleasant, condescending response from HMRC I feel, even though it may be technically accurate," a third added.
"Such a poor post this is," someone else wrote.
LADbible has contacted HMRC for comment.
Topics: Money, Luke Littler, Sport
Anish Vij