Shakira wins €55m tax refund from Spanish gov’t
A court in Spain has directed the country’s tax authority to refund €55 million (£48 million/$64 million) to Colombian singer Shakira after ruling that the funds were wrongly collected in a long-running tax dispute.
Spain’s National High Court cleared the singer of tax fraud allegations and ordered the Treasury to repay the money along with accrued interest.
According to the court, tax authorities failed to establish that Shakira spent the required 183 days in Spain in 2011 — the minimum period needed to classify someone as a tax resident liable to pay personal income tax.
Reacting to the ruling, Shakira said the judgment had “finally set the record straight” after what she described as eight years of public attacks, reputational damage, and emotional strain on her and her family.
The singer, known for songs such as Hips Don’t Lie and Whenever, Wherever, insisted there had never been any fraud and accused authorities of treating her as guilty throughout the process.
She said details of the case were repeatedly leaked and distorted to make an example of her, adding that the court’s decision had now dismantled that narrative.
Shakira also dedicated the ruling to ordinary citizens who, she said, are often forced to prove their innocence at significant financial and emotional cost.
The repayment includes nearly €24 million in income tax and close to €25 million in penalties that authorities had previously classified as a “very serious” violation.
Spain’s tax agency has announced plans to appeal the ruling before the Supreme Court and stated that no repayment will be made until a final judgment is reached.
The court noted that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain during the 2011 fiscal year, 20 days below the threshold required for tax residency status. The case relates only to the 2011 tax year and does not cover subsequent years.
Shakira, who was in a long-term relationship with former Gerard Piqué after reportedly meeting during the filming of the Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) music video in 2010, has previously faced several disputes with Spanish tax authorities, including a separate settlement in 2018 to avoid trial in another fraud case.
In a 2024 article published in El Mundo, the 49-year-old compared the investigations into her finances to an “inquisition trial.”
The latest ruling comes as Shakira prepares to conclude her Women Don’t Cry Anymore World Tour with a residency in Madrid beginning in September. She is also expected to perform alongside Madonna and BTS during the halftime show of this summer’s FIFA Men’s World Cup Final.
Earlier this month, an estimated two million fans attended a free Shakira concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Source: BBC
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