Shakira has been charged with tax evasion in Spain for a second time. Already due to stand trial over allegations that she failed to pay €14.5 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014, she is now accused of avoiding a further €6.7 million in 2018.
In a statement, a representative for the singer said: “Unfortunately, the Spanish Tax Office, which loses one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case. Shakira is confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the judicial process”.
The Spanish tax authorities claim that Shakira used an offshore company based in a tax haven in order to avoid paying tax in the country in 2018.
The singer is already due to stand trial in November for the alleged tax evasion between 2012 and 2014. That dispute relates to a disagreement over where Shakira was primarily based during those years. The Colombian pop star, who was then married to Barcelona football player Gerard Piqué became a full resident, and therefore tax payer, of Spain in 2015.
However, Spanish authorities believe that she was also a resident of the country between 2012 and 2014 – despite actually registering her residence in the Bahamas – and therefore should have been paying tax on her worldwide earnings in the country during this time too.
Anyone who spends more than six months of a year in Spain is considered liable for tax in the country. And it is argued that Shakira spent most of her time in Spain during the years in question, only travelling abroad for brief periods.
Shakira’s legal reps have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing ever since she was first charged in 2018, insisting that the singer’s finances have been managed entirely legally and properly.