A Spanish court has ordered authorities to refund more than €55 million to Shakira after ruling that tax officials wrongly classified the pop star as a Spanish tax resident in 2011.
According to a ruling by Spain’s National Court, seen by AFP on Monday, May 18, tax authorities failed to prove that the singer spent more than 183 days in Spain during the year in question — the legal threshold for personal income tax residency.
The court found that Shakira spent only 163 days in Spain in 2011 and concluded that authorities also did not demonstrate that Spain was the centre of her economic interests at the time. As a result, it ruled that she should not have been treated as a tax resident for that year.
The decision requires Spain’s tax agency to refund all amounts paid by the singer, along with legal interest, effectively overturning millions of euros in penalties and tax adjustments.
The total repayment reportedly includes about €24 million in income tax, nearly €25 million in fines linked to what authorities had described as a “very serious” offence, as well as accumulated interest.
Reacting to the judgment, Shakira said the court had “finally set the record straight” after years of scrutiny and legal battles. She accused authorities of subjecting her to “brutal public exposure, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately affected my health and my family’s wellbeing.”
“Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, and amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to other taxpayers. Today, that narrative falls apart,” she said in a statement sent to AFP.
The ruling comes as the 49-year-old singer prepares to conclude her “Women Don’t Cry Anymore” world tour, with a concert residency in Madrid scheduled to begin in September.
