Last year, Shakira gave a rather legendary Elle interview. She spoke at length about just how much she did to make her relationship with Gerard Pique work, and she also spoke at length about how the Spanish tax authorities are trying to jam her up. For years, Spanish authorities have claimed that Shakira didn’t pay enough taxes given her part-time residence in Barcelona. Shakira has long employed PricewaterhouseCoopers, the internationally renowned tax specialists and accountants. She has all of her literal receipts, she knows exactly how many days she spent in Spain, she knows how much she’s paid and what she owes. She also no longer lives in Spain – she moved to Miami shortly after Pique cheated on her in their home. Well, the Spanish authorities are still desperate to punish Shakira and get as much money from her as possible. I said before that the Spanish tax agencies are coming across like scammers, and I still feel that way.
Prosecutors in Spain have once again charged Shakira with tax fraud — this time linked to taxes filed on her 2018 income. In a statement obtained by the Associated Press, Barcelona prosecutors accused the Columbian singer, 46, of failing to pay about $7.1 million (6.7 million euros) in taxes in 2018. They alleged that she avoided paying the taxes by using an offshore company located in a tax haven.
They also noted that Shakira was informed of the charges in her current home city of Miami, according to the AP, who first reported the news. Shakira did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The new charges come after a Spanish court said in July that it started an investigation linked to alleged fraud on the singer’s personal income tax and wealth tax in 2018. The court said it had no information on how much money was in question at the time, according to the AP.
The court, located in Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona, opened a second case as a result of a complaint made by the Barcelona Economic Crimes Prosecutor regarding Shakira allegedly defrauding the tax agency, per a translation from Spanish media outlet El Pais. Another local outlet, El Periodico, reported that the prosecutor’s office filed a complaint for two alleged tax crimes.
A representative for Shakira told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that she “defends having always acted in accordance with the law and under the advice of the best tax experts. She is now focused on her life as an artist in Miami and is confident that there will be a favorable resolution of her tax issues.”
Shakira refused to “settle” one of the previous charges because, as she has said, she has confidence in her own records and her PwC accountants. I’ve seen comments on here and other places about how Shakira has tax shelters and residences in tax havens… and? It’s not illegal to have a residence in a tax haven. It’s not illegal to set up tax shelters. Tax loopholes exist all around the world. Of course Shakira has protected herself and protected her assets. I think a lot of people have big problems when it’s a successful Colombian woman protecting her assets and refusing to roll over for a government agency in the middle of a smear campaign.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Viktor & Rolf show arrivals during Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris, France. Featuring: Shakira Where: Paris, France When: 05 Jul 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- MTV Video Music Awards 2023 held at the Prudential Centre in Newark. Featuring: Shakira Where: Newark, New Jersey, United States When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- MTV Video Music Awards 2023 held at the Prudential Centre in Newark. Featuring: Shakira Where: Newark, New Jersey, United States When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira poses with the ‘Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award’ and ‘Best Collaboration Award’ for ‘TQG’ in the press room at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Prudential Centre Featuring: Shakira Where: Newark, New Jersey, United States When: 13 Sep 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
If She used Off-shore firms to disguise her true income, this would be tax fraud.
End of story.
No victims here except the Spanish people who lacks several millions for schools, hospitals and Infrastructure.
Exactly.
Well said, Karla.
THIS!
Yeah, I see a lot of practices in accounting that are commonplace, but it doesn’t mean they’re ethical. I’ve seen recommendations come through from CPA firms that theoretically could land people in trouble with the IRS, but realistically, the IRS is never going to catch it.
We’re talking about the same agencies who covered the RF asses and only “punished” the non-royal husband of an Infanta.
they can cry as much as they want but their Governments are corrupt.
Also – read Shakira’s latest single. Her fromer FIL opened bussinesses in her name. Everywhere. Without her knowledge. She is getting screwed by the Spanish Hacienda, her former inlaws and her former partner. I’m so glad she’s fighting back.
Couldn’t have said it better. This has nothing to do with being a successful Colombian woman, other celebrities have done the same in Spain, Spanish or foreign ,and have also been charged with tax fraud, including Spanish YouTubers who have moved abroad to avoids paying taxes. I like her and respect her as an artist, but as a Spanish resident who pays a fair amount of taxes I can’t sympathize with her in this matter. Fraud is fraud.
Damn, between that raggedy ass man she was with and his raggedy ass parents and now these tax issues, I bet Shakira wishes she had just had her babies and moved on. We all know damn well that dude’s dick wasn’t worth all this extended hassle.
In theory, I see no problem with a rich person hiring good accountants and tax specialists and following up their advices on their residences and even making good use of tax havens and the like. I do have a problem with governments simply refusing to charge billionaires any tax at all, and this does not seem the case.
There are a lot of super rich english people we know just spending 89 days of the year in England and residing in Switzerland for the same reasons, so I agree it would be strange to single out Shakira.
However, and that is why I do reserve my right to side eye Shakira a bit, is that she is very openly for Welfare State and socialists government. The ” tax dodging” accusations hurt her more because of her politics. It does sound a bit dishonest of her, but it is definetly not a crime or and indictment of her as a human being.
Why would the Spanish tax authorities be responsible for English tax Dodgers living in Switzerland?
The Spanish Tax authorities are doing the right thing, they are literally Robin Hood in this scenario, taking money from rich people to give to poor people. I only wish the IRS, HMRC and other tax administrations were so good at going after rich tax dodgers.
What?
I simply pointed out we know for years people like Mick Jagger was doing exactly what Shakira is doing and I never heard a word against them. That was the connection I made. Apparently if it is an english male celebrity doing it, nobody points fingers, but if it is Shakira in Spain, she is scum…
Apologies, I thought you were unfairly criticising the Spanish tax authorities rather than Western culture as a whole.
In that case, please could we ask Kaiser for more stories on tax dodging celebs so that Shakira isn’t singled out, because you’re right, it is rampant and needs to be talked about more.
I mean… taxes are famously NOT used for the people’s comfort and rather stolen by the people in power. At least in my country it is, you just dont see the impact of all the money that you’re paying, not in infrastructure, not in public health, not in public transportation.
What the accounting firms say is legal and what the law actually says are not the same thing. Normal business practices are incredibly corrupt. That said, prosecuting Shakira (repeatedly!) instead of locally powerful businessmen is shady and misogynist.
Didn’t the Spanish king have to abdicate so he and at least one of his children would t go to jail over tax fraud schemes or something?
I have no doubt she has done what every ultra wealthy person does, but it does feel conveniently targeted for Spain to go hard after her while the rest of it is in shambles.
Tell me you have no idea of what you’re talking about without telling me…check the actors and football players that have been charged in the last years, for instance.
Most of the people who have been charged with tax invasion somehow always happen to be non Spanish internationals. That seems very suspicious to me.
The fact that the king of SPAIN had to abdicate shows you that they are not just targeting Spanish nationals
Who exactly? Xabi Alonso? Arantxa Sánchez Vicario? Most of the tv hosts? Actors such as Imanol Arias or Santiago Segura?
Everyone would be better off if international law changed the way that wealth could be moved around, but as it stands keeping money in offshore accounts is pretty common practice for rich folk — unsure why Shakira is being so persistently targeted.
Well Spain robbed South American countries for centuries so they deserve it. I hope she never gives them a cent.
Really…the poorest people in Spain who rely on tax income for welfare support deserve Shakira being able to buy another mansion?
This isn’t the Spanish aristocracy paying reparations to the poor South American communities. This is the rich screwing over the poor…again.
South American here.
Not sure how Shakira avoiding taxes makes up for Spain robbing South American countries for centuries, can you please explain it to me so that it makes sense?
It’s not like millionaire Shakira is spending all that money, say, building schools in South America. She’s just amassing more wealth. As others said, it’s the beneficiaries of that tax money in Spain who are being cheated, people living off benefits, school children, pensioners, etc. Again, not the people (or even the type of people) who robbed the South American countries several generations ago.
What are you talking about? Shakira has been building schools in her native Colombia since 1997. She and her Pies Descalzos Foundation has supported education in Colombia for more than 24 years. In fact, as of 2018 she build four schools in the Cartagena, Barranquilla, Quibdo and Soacha areas and I believe two more are on the way.
I believe they also did this to Messi and Reynaldo? It keeps being mentioned in articles about Shakira and Spanish taxes. These guys are not Spanish, but very successful international soccer players who played on Spanish teams. It makes the Spanish tax department seem shady. Maybe they are going after rich Spanish celebrities too and it’s not making it to international news?
She’s paid over 90 million in taxes to the Spanish government for her years living there. The Spanish government is notorious for changing tax laws and then retroactively going after celebrities.
It’s not like she set up these tax shelters herself. If her legal and tax teams say she is operating within the law, I trust them more than the shady Spanish government
Oh yes, it’s so fun when wealthy people come to Europe, enjoy our infrastructure, but then avoid paying taxes. I hope they make he pay everything she is due plus fines!
Well, in her case the Spanish infrastructure was partially paid by the exploration of her country so…
Like a comment above said, Colombia being explored by Spain has nothing to do with her not paying taxes since that only hurts the poor people in Spain (although thinking that that money will actually go to the poor is a bit funny/innocent to me).
But also Europeans complaining about people going to their country to take stuff is… hypocritical at best
When tax authorities (doesn’t matter which country) go after people for tax evasions, it’s because they have legitimate reasons to believe that there’s tax evasion. And just because Shakira hired an accounting firm doesn’t necessarily mean she is 100% clean either. History is filled with accounting firms signing off on financial/tax frauds. Shaki – step evading taxes! It doesn’t help your reputation.
If it were a Hollywood dude (or dudette) avoiding paying taxes, the same people saying Shakira is doing nothing wrong would be up in arms. She has hundreds of millions of dollars. If we blast some millionaires/billionaires for not paying their taxes, we blast all of the ones who do it.
Shaki’s tax haven residences and off-shore accounts are no different than Bezos’s haven residences and off-shore accounts. Martha Stewart went to prison for tax shenanigans. Shakira isn’t exempt from any of that just because her ex did her dirty and she’s likable 🤷♀️