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Shakira wins £50m tax refund from Spanish government
TL;DR
A Spanish court has ordered the government to refund €55 million (£48m) to Shakira, ruling the tax was improperly collected. The court found insufficient evidence that she spent the required 183 days in Spain for tax residency in 2011.
Key points
- Spanish court orders tax refund to Shakira
- Refund amount is €55 million (£48m, $64m)
- Tax authorities failed to prove residency requirement
Mentioned in this story
ShakiraSpanish government
A Spanish court has ordered the country's tax authority to refund 55 million euros (£48m, $64m) to singer Shakira after ruling that the money was improperly collected in a dispute over her taxes.
The national high court has ordered the Treasury to repay the amount plus interest to the Colombian singer, who is known for hits like Hips Don't Lie and Wherever, Whenever.
It said tax authorities had failed to prove she spent 183 days in Spain in 2011 - the minimum required for residents to pay personal income tax there.
Shakira said the court had "finally set the record straight" after she had spent eight years "enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family's well-being".
Her statement added: "There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn't true.
"Yet, for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers.
"Today, that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling."
She dedicated her victory to the "thousands of ordinary citizens" made to similarly prove their innocence at "the cost of economic and emotional ruin".
The repayment includes about 24 million euros (£21m) in income tax and almost 25 million euros (£25m) in fines for what authorities had described as a "very serious" infringement.
The tax agency said it would appeal to the Supreme Court and that no payment would be made until the final ruling.
Shakira lived with former Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique for more than a decade after reportedly meeting in 2010 while filming the music video for Waka Waka, the official song of the World Cup in South Africa.
The High Court said that the fines were unlawful because they relied on the assumption that Spain was her tax residence for the 2011 fiscal year, "a fact which has not been proven".
The court said she spent 163 days in Spain in that financial year - 20 days short of the threshold for her to be classed as a resident for tax purposes.
The case does not involve the tax years after 2011.
The dispute was one of several involving Shakira and Spain's tax agency, including a separate settlement reached in 2018 to avoid a trial in a broader fraud case.
Writing in Spanish daily publication El Mundo in 2024, Shakira, 49, compared the tax office investigations into her affairs to an "inquisition trial".
The latest ruling comes as Shakira is set to wrap up her Women Don't Cry Anymore world tour with a residency in Madrid from September.
She will also perform alongside Madonna and BTS during the half-time show at this summer's Fifa Men's World Cup final, it was
Q&A
What was the reason for Shakira's £50 million tax refund?
The refund was ordered because the Spanish tax authorities failed to prove that Shakira spent 183 days in Spain in 2011, which is necessary for tax residency.
How much money is Shakira receiving from the Spanish government?
Shakira is set to receive €55 million, which is approximately £48 million or $64 million.
What impact did the tax dispute have on Shakira's life?
Shakira stated that the dispute caused her sleepless nights and affected her health and her family's well-being due to public targeting and reputation damage.
