Spanish Court Orders 55 Mn Euro Tax Refund to Shakira

Alsharq Tribune- Gina Issa 

A Spanish court has ordered the tax authority to refund Colombian pop star Shakira more than 55 million euros ($64 million) improperly collected in a dispute over her 2011 taxes, according to a ruling seen Monday.

The National Audience said tax authorities had failed to prove that the "Hips Don't Lie" singer spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011, the legal threshold requiring residents to pay personal income tax in the country.

"On the contrary, the court found that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain and that the tax authorities had therefore failed to prove that the singer had the center of her economic interests in Spain," according to the ruling issued last month which was seen by AFP on Monday.

The court ordered "the reimbursement of the sums paid, together with legal interest", cancelling the tax assessments and multi-million-euro fines imposed by the tax authorities, which had considered the singer a tax resident in Spain in 2011.

The ruling comes as Shakira is set to wrap up her record-breaking "Women Don't Cry Anymore" world tour with a concert residency in Madrid starting in September.