‘I lost all the money I earned’

Shakira revealed that she lost everything she earned during the period she lived in Spain, accompanying her ex-husband Gerard Pique. In a letter published by the Spanish newspaper The Worldthe Colombian singer spoke out about her fight against the Spanish IRS, accusing the institution of persecuting her and wanting to “burn her publicly” instead of listening to her justifications.

Relationship with Piqué

The relationship between Shakira and Pique began in 2011, which led the singer to visit Spain regularly. However, she stressed that these visits brought complications, as they kept her away from her workplace, and that her trips to the country were motivated by her relationship, and not by a desire to stay there permanently.

Target of prejudice

Shakira also criticized the way she was treated by the IRS, claiming that she was the target of sexist prejudice. According to her, the Spanish tax authorities assumed that her intention to stay in the country was related to the desire to follow Piqué, without considering her own career and professional needs.

The singer claimed that she had always complied with her tax obligations in other countries where she resided, such as the United States, and stated that her finances had been approved by agencies such as the IRS and other countries in the European Union. However, even with these validations, she found herself the target of accusations in Spain, being criminalized in the media before any trial.

Residence in Spain

Shakira explained that in 2011 she spent only 73 days in Spain, while the minimum required to become a tax resident of the country is 183 days. Even so, the Spanish tax authorities tried to classify her as a resident, which the singer considered inappropriate given her global lifestyle.

During her time in Spain, Shakira performed 120 concerts in 90 cities, which made the success of her career evident. However, she lamented that, financially, the earnings of that decade were taken by the Spanish State, and that her current assets are the result of what she accumulated before and after living in the country.

In 2015, Shakira became an official resident of Spain, and the IRS initially acknowledged that she had not been a resident for the previous ten years. However, shortly after, they tried to collect retroactive taxes, leading the singer to feel that she had fallen into a “trap”.

Fraud Charge

In 2018, the IRS accused Shakira of failing to file taxes between 2012 and 2014, resulting in a €14.5 million fraud charge. The singer agreed to pay a fine of more than €7 million in 2023. In May 2023, another case was opened for fraud of €6.6 million, but this was closed due to lack of evidence.

Shakira said she delayed speaking out publicly out of a desire to protect her children, but now feels she must speak out, driven by her conscience.

Summary for those in a hurry:

• Shakira lost all the money she earned during the period she lived in Spain, accompanying Piqué.
• The singer accuses the Spanish IRS of persecuting her and treating her with sexist prejudice.
• In 2011, Shakira spent just 73 days in Spain, which would not make her a tax resident, she said.
• She claims that she has always complied with her tax obligations in other countries, such as the USA.
• Shakira was accused of tax fraud between 2012 and 2014, paying a fine of more than 7 million euros in 2023.
• The singer decided to speak out now because she feels she must speak out on behalf of her conscience.