Shakira Wins Millions in Long-Running Spanish Tax Case

Shakira is receiving a massive refund in her long-running Spanish tax case. 

As per Rolling Stone, the Colombian pop legend will receive a €60 million refund after a Spanish court ruled in her favour in the long-running dispute.

The National High Court in the country ruled that the Spanish Tax Agency failed to prove that the singer spent 183 days in Spain in 2011, the minimum required to pay personal income tax. 

The €60 million sum comprises a refund on taxes and fines, plus interest.

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Shakira said: “After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation, and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family’s well-being, the National High Court has finally set the record straight. 

"There was never any fraud, and the Administration itself could never prove otherwise, simply because it wasn’t true.”

As the case rumbled on, Spanish authorities tried to tie Shakira to Spain via her relationship with her then-partner, Barcelona player Gerard Piqué (the couple began dating in 2010 and broke up in 2022). 

The court, however, ruled that their relationship was not the same as a marriage, with the judge further stating that the tax authority failed to prove that Spain was “the main centre or base” of Shakira's business activities at the time. 

In the end, the court ruled that the agency could only prove that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain in 2011. Shakira's case was further bolstered by the fact she spent much of 2011 on tour, playing 120 concerts during that year. 

The despite, however, isn't at an end. 

Spain’s tax authority indicated its intention to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, and stated that no payment would be made until there is a final ruling.