Amsterdam & Partners, representing an organisation calling itself spanishtaxpickpockets.com, paid for full-page advertisements in the Financial Times along with other newspapers, headed “Spanish Pickpockets Operating in This Area” with a mocked-up picture of the Spanish tax office.
The advertisement claimed that high-value individuals who move to Spain are targeted by the tax authorities, who try to extract their wealth.
Britons who are tax residents in Spain are liable for income tax on worldwide income, including assets in the UK. A convention between Britain and Spain says this must prevent double taxation in both countries.
Many have faced fines and legal fees of tens of thousands of pounds if they contest Spanish tax orders.
Robert Amsterdam has accused Spain’s tax authority of being completely out of controlMr Amsterdam, one of the partners, said not all “victims” of tax authorities come under the so-called Beckham law, which was introduced by Spain in 2004 when David Beckham moved to play for Real Madrid. It was designed to attract high-value individuals by offering a lower rate of tax.
In 2023, she paid €7.5 million (£6.3m) to settle a tax fraud case in Spain. The Colombian, who repeatedly denied wrongdoing, faced eight years in prison and a fine of €23.8m (£20.2m) if found guilty.
square WORLD I left Spain to return to the UK after five years fighting its tax authorities
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The singer said in a statement: “Tax authorities in Spain pursued a case against me as they have against many professional athletes and other high-profile individuals, draining those people’s energy, time, and tranquility for years at a time.”
The Canadian lawyer, who lives in London, said he hoped to make Spain’s tax authority more accountable.
“I have never seen a democracy have its populace so fearful, literally expecting a knock on the door and you are talking to someone who has been arrested in Moscow. But I see it here with people, a knock on the door that the tax authority will come after them if they express the wrong political opinion, if they antagonise the government for a host of reasons.”
The pop star Shakira was pursued by the Spanish tax authorities (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)He said tax inspectors received €1.2 billion (£1.01bn) in bonuses in the past 10 years for pursuing cases but were not accountable. This amounts to 1.4 per cent of their salaries which he estimates to be between €300,000-€600,000 (£254,265-£508,530) per year.
A report by Mr Amsterdam’s company, called Spanish Tax Office Against The People, includes the case of Mike, a British businessman whose name was changed to hide his identity.
After moving back to the UK, the Spanish tax authorities started an investigation into Mike’s tax affairs but he could not have imagined what would follow.
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“Not satisfied with what they got locally, because there was nothing to find, they started an international trawl for information. Every country where he had a bank account or anything else. The investigation goes on. A year into it, the tax authorities still refuse to say what their inspectors are looking for.” Seven years later, the investigation continues.
Spain’s tax authority says the claims in the “pickpockets” advertisement were unfounded.
She rejected claims that tax inspectors received some of the cash recovered from investigations and said how investigations were carried out was clouded in secrecy.
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