The staggering Celtic £23.6m tax figure, which investment debate | OneFootball

Celtic’s remarkable financial strength has been underlined by figures showing the club recorded taxation charges of almost £23.6million across the three financial years to June 2025. The Scottish Champions recorded a total tax expense of £7.365m in 2023, £4.441m in 2024 and £11.753m during their latest financial year.

Football finance guru Kieran Macguire shared the figures on Twitter, offering a staggering insight into the Celtic hierarchy. The collective outgoings produce a combined figure of £23.559m and reflects the considerable profits Celtic have generated during a hugely successful period domestically.

The latest accounts are particularly striking. Celtic generated a pre-tax profit of £45.687m during 2024/25, resulting in a taxation charge of £11.753m and leaving the club with a profit after tax of £33.934m.

It is important to distinguish between the taxation charge contained within the accounts and money actually handed over during the financial year. The £11.753m expense included £10.416m of current taxation and £1.337m of deferred tax, while Celtic’s cash-flow statement records £12.433m of tax actually paid during the year.

Those figures only reinforce the scale of the financial platform Celtic have built.

At 30 June 2025, the club retained cash and cash equivalents of £77.310m – remarkably, slightly more than the £77.228m held 12 months earlier.

That was achieved despite significant investment.

Celtic spent £37.772m on intangible assets, predominantly player registrations, while a further £11.688m was invested in property, plant and equipment.

In other words, almost £50m was committed across those two areas during the financial year and Celtic still emerged with more than £77m sitting in the bank.

Celtic fans banner marking poor European performances displayed by the Green Brigade. Celtic v Falkirk, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park – 29 August 2026

Photo Stuart Wallace

Shutterstock/IMAGO

There can be little dispute that Celtic are being run from a position of exceptional financial security. Years of domestic success, European participation and disciplined financial management have created a balance sheet almost unrivalled within Scottish football.

For supporters, however, that strength inevitably sharpens the debate surrounding first-team investment. Celtic have accumulated the financial resources to operate from a position of considerable strength, while continuing to dominate domestically. The frustration arises when supporters believe that advantage has not been exploited aggressively enough to strengthen the team, particularly with European progress remaining a major ambition.

Celtic supporters want to see ambition from the club, not cosmetic touchups here and there or doing the bare minimum in Europe. Supporters want to see an investment in infrastructure, meaningful engagement and plans for the future. The Main Stand needs revamped and further hospitality could be offered if it is to be expanded, as well as catering for the ST demand. Instead, much like the Board, it is aging with questions about its future.

August 24, 2025, Toronto, On, Canada: Liam Gallagher left and Noel Gallagher of Oasis walk onstage together during their reunion tour in Toronto, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. Toronto Canada PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAc35_ 20250824_zaf_c35_242 Copyright: xSammyxKoganx

Oasis will assume control of Paradise at the end of the season for five nights, emphasising that Celtic Park can be used for gigs, offering a further commercial route. The club should be open, transparent with its support but instead, fan media remains banned. A number of Celtic sites that operate as professional media outlets, supporting the club often against lazy journalism, remain sidelined.

Dom McKay, former Chief Executive Officer, has been interviewed recently about his role with SEC, speaking positively about innovation and modernisation. This, along with the figures here, make some supporters uncomfortable as it confirms concerns that the club are operating with the old biscuit tin mentality.

The numbers demonstrate that Celtic are operating from an extraordinarily powerful financial position – and inevitably raise the question of how much more of that advantage can now be translated from the balance sheet onto the pitch. The UEFA Champions League debacle of the last two seasons has loosed Celtic’s financial standing somewhat but as stated, they are still in an incredible position.

The club promised real change in the wake of last season. Martin O’Neill was appointed as manager after a lengthy delay along with returning staff. Brian Wilson remains interim chair and there have been no fresh appointments on the Board. No Director of Football has been announced and the plans to modernise appear to, at least publicly, have cooled.

The next AGM should make for interesting viewing.