The Spanish National Court has overturned a 15-year-old fine imposed on Colombian singer Shakira for allegedly failing to pay taxes. This was reported by Euronews TV channel on May 18.
The pop star's problems with the Spanish tax service began back in 2011. The government agency then decided that Shakira had lived in the country for enough time to be considered a tax resident. At a recent hearing, the court stated that the tax authorities were unable to prove that the singer lived in Spain for more than 183 days in 2011 – this is exactly how long she needs to spend in the country for the state to officially demand payment of taxes.
According to the court, Shakira spent most of her time in 2011 on work trips outside of Spain, which means the charges brought against her were unfounded. If the court's decision is not appealed to the Supreme Court of Spain, the state will be forced to return more than €60 million (approximately UAH 3 billion) to the artist.
Euronews quoted the singer's statement, in which she emphasized that there was “no fraud” on her part, and accused the Spanish authorities of “many years of pressure” and “attempts to make her a fraudster.”
