Soccer Star Will Have to Go to Trial for Alleged Tax Evasion
The ongoing tax saga of soccer star Lionel Messi will continue. That news comes after a judge in Spain ruled that the Barcelona FC star would indeed have to stand trial for tax fraud charges in association with his many endorsement deals with foreign companies. The news comes just days after a report stated that Mr. Messi would not have to go to trial, and that only his father would face the courtroom.
Not So Fast
However, the Spanish judge ruled otherwise and said that Mr. Messi and his father should both have to go to trial. Even though his lawyers argued that Mr. Messi did not have any hands-on dealings with his endorsement contracts, the judge ruled that he “couldn’t have ignored” that a large part of his revenue was coming from foreign companies. If he is convicted, the soccer star could receive a sentence for as long as 22 months.
No Jail Time Likely
However, the good news for Mr. Messi is that even if he is found guilty of the charges he will most likely not spend any time behind bars. That’s because sentences for financial crimes shorter than two years are typically suspended according to Spanish law. In addition, Mr. Messi and his father have reportedly either already paid, or have agreed to pay, the missing tax money, plus interest.
How to Identify and Utilize Your Core Competencies
How to Identify and Utilize Your Core Competencies. Over the years in which I’ve been working for GROCO and doing my radio program, American Dreams, I have met with a lot of people, many of whom are counted amongst the most successful and wealthiest individuals in the world. Most of my guests are also…
How to Save Money on Your Social Security Taxes
Most people look forward to the day when they start to receive the rewards for putting all their hard-earned money over the years into social security. However, some people end up with a lot less than they had planned on because they end up paying more taxes on those benefits than they had expected.…
How Each Presidential Candidate Plans to Handle Corporate Taxes
If you follow this blog then you know that corporate taxes are a regular topic discussed in this space. A couple weeks ago we shared some comments from Disney Chief Bob Iger regarding the country’s corporate tax policies. This is a topic that continues to get a lot of airtime in the media as…
Keep Your Small Business’s Taxes Small as Well
Keep Your Small Business’s Taxes Small as Well Small Business Owner Do you run a small business? Are your hands always full, or perhaps overflowing? Small business owners never run out of things to do, which means that sometimes certain things get overlooked or put on the back burner, including taxes. Unfortunately, you can’t really…