EU to propose tax evasion legislation following 'Football Leaks'

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose new anti tax-evasion legislation next year following media reports accusing football stars of having used tax havens to handle tens of millions of euros in earnings, a top EU official said on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, a group of 12 European news outlets began publishing the results of months of investigations into a vast trove of millions of financial documents, obtained by the German magazine Der Spiegel and dubbed the "Football Leaks".

"I am very shocked that those who are lucky enough to earn often very high salaries can avoid paying their fair share of taxes," Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told French lawmakers.

"The Commission has decided to make legislative proposals in 2017 on the role of intermediaries and tax advisors when they organise tax avoidance and fraud," he said during the hearing in Paris.

(Reporting by Michel Rose; editing by Ingrid Melander)