€15m Tax Fraud: Ronaldo Insists He Hasn’t Hidden Anything From Tax Authorities
The news that Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly evaded 15 million euros in taxes caught the footballer himself by surprise, according to MARCA sources close to the player and his legal experts.
El Mundo insist that in 2014 he and his advisers failed to declare a significant portion of his income, something the Portuguese star and his circle have now come out to deny.
These claims are linked to ones made in December on his off-shore accounts in the Virgin Islands.
Only 20% of his image rights were accounted for in 2014 and then sold some of the image rights in his name before the Beckham law stopped having legal effect.
Different interpretations as to how much the player is legally required to declare in taxes is the main reason for the claims being made against the player.
That Cristiano Ronaldo voluntarily declared more in taxes than was needed should give him the benefit of the doubt, although he could still be fined heavily for the behaviour.
Authorities say anything from 15 months to five years could be an applicable penalty, although others insist those figures are just to cause alarm and garner attention.
