The Madrid court in Spain has ruled that the tax authorities wrongly pursued Colombian pop diva Shakira for her 2011 tax payments, ordering the Spanish government to return more than 55 million euros (about 250 million ringgit) in funds and related penalties.
According to a statement released by the court on the 18th, the Spanish tax authorities previously determined that Shakira stayed in Spain for more than 183 days in 2011, and therefore should be regarded as a tax resident, imposing hefty fines on her in 2021. However, the Madrid High Court “National Court” ruled that Shakira actually only stayed in Spain for 163 days that year, not meeting the standard of a tax resident, and therefore was not required to pay the related personal income tax.
Shakira and her legal team issued a statement the same day, calling the verdict a “decisive and historic ruling.” She stated, “For more than 8 years, I have suffered brutal public attacks, reputation-destroying actions, and countless sleepless nights, which ultimately even affected my health and my family’s life, but now the court has finally restored the truth.” Shakira further accused that throughout the case, a large amount of information was leaked, distorted, and exaggerated, using her name and public profile to send an intimidating message to other taxpayers. The court emphasized, however, that this ruling only concerns the 2011 tax issue. As for another tax evasion case involving 2012 to 2014, Shakira reached a settlement with prosecutors in 2023. She admitted to the relevant charges at that time and agreed to pay all back taxes and additional fines. #
News Source: ETtoday News Cloud