The escalation between the international law firm Amsterdam & Partners and the Spanish Hacienda has just added a new chapter to the saga. A few years ago, Buffet published a double-page ad in several international periodicals accusing the Spanish tax administration of being “pocket merchants” for allegedly persecuting taxpayers. He then received an unusual public response from the Hacienda organization, strongly defending its employees. Now, months later, the Dispatch has returned to loading and has just released a new ad. Financial Times in the one who insists on his accusations.
The office, based in London and Washington, is founded by Robert Amsterdam and is dedicated to providing strategic advice to businesses and individuals. In recent months, he has risen to prominence representing a group of foreign investors and residents and has denounced Spain to organizations such as the UN and OECD for alleged violations of the rule of law.
In her new announcement, she accuses the Spanish tax system of encouraging unfair practices and penalizing foreign taxpayers. Ensure that Hacienda inspectors receive bonuses “both if they win and if they lose an unfair trial” and that tax bills considered abusive must be paid immediately, making the defense of those who appeal more costly. The order presents the Spanish system as the only one in Europe to reward regularizations, even when the courts correct liquidations, and denounces an environment which, it assures, undermines tax justice.
The first episode came out about a year ago, when the Dispatch ran several ads about it. Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal Yes The evening to denounce alleged systematic tax harassment on the part of Hacienda towards foreign taxpayers hosted there ley beckham. This advertising campaign, in which it was calculated directly from “pickpockets” (carteristas) to inspectors and invited them to hire shipping services, generating notable internal unease within the tax administration.
The organization dependent on the Hacienda, unaccustomed to entering into public debates, broke its silence. In unusually blunt statements, official sources accused the buffet of launching “a discredit campaign based on false and serious accusations.” They also defended their employees’ professions and rejected the idea ― the central plank of the distribution campaign ― that inspectors received bonuses tied to their test results.
The Tax Agency has highlighted the need to monitor the correct application of all special tax regimes (such as the ley beckham), which means a loss of income for the public hacienda which must be controlled. In other words, each of these tax forms is subject to verification by inspection in case of anomalies. If non-compliance is noted, these sources are highlighted, regularization and liquidation are necessary. According to figures I provided to the agency, over the past 10 years, 37,000 taxpayers have been subject to this formula, of whom only 0.5% have been inspected for possible non-compliance.
Several Hacienda inspectors and technicians consulted suggested, moreover, that the various initiatives promoted by the order, increasingly “aggressive” and based on “lies”, demonstrated an attempt to develop knowledge to attract customers.
Failing to moderate its speech, Amsterdam & Partners has decided to redouble its efforts. The new announcement, published this weekend on Financial Timesinsists that “hacienda inspectors receive a bonus both if they win or lose an unfair tax case.” The text specifies that the Spanish system penalizes fairness and that “fighting for justice costs more”, due to the obligation to immediately pay liquidations, even in the event of dispute.
About The Author
