The Spanish government has formalized the change in the leadership of the Tax Agency this Tuesday. Antonio Ansón Latorre (Zaragoza, 1962) will assume the general direction of the tax administration. For just over a year, he has been the director of the cabinet of the Secretary of State for Finance, the highest authority responsible for directing and coordinating fiscal policy, the management of the tax system, and regional financing.

La Moncloa is determined to present the budgets for 2027 despite not having support in the Congress of Deputies. And, for this reason, it has already begun to take the necessary steps to bring the accounts to the Spanish chamber this autumn. The Minister of Finance, Arcadi España, met yesterday with all the Finance Ministers of the autonomous communities and conveyed to them the spending limits foreseen by the State government for regional and municipal governments throughout next year. They will have the possibility to spend up to 4% more, and this new spending rule will apply to all administrations, although it maintains the deficit margin for autonomous administrations at 0.1% of Spanish gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy).

A procedure that normally had been overcome without much difficulty in Congress has been a headache for the Spanish government for some time. It is the approval of the stability path, the prior step to draw up general state budgets, and which includes the deficit and debt targets, as well as the spending rule for all public administrations. Specifically, what is causing Pedro Sánchez's government a headache is the deficit target set for the autonomous communities, which in the last votes in the Spanish lower house has not prospered because the stability path – which includes the targets for all administrations – has not had enough support: the PP has voted against it, but also Junts.

It always passes quickly and from one day to the next, like a flower that never summer and a tree that doesn't let you see the forest, but the state Treasury has once again made public this week the official list of major tax defaulters in the Kingdom of Spain. Eleven hundred and eleven individuals and four thousand seven hundred companies have in common that they owe more than 600,000 euros to the public coffers – and no, they are not precarious migrants in search of life, work, and future. They are few who owe a lot, for a total outstanding amount that rises to 15,364,000,000 euros. I haven't heard any statement from Foment del Treball regarding persistent fiscal absenteeism, but I stare magnetically at the figure, almost dazzled, absorbed in the eleven digits. Trying to think how this fortune, euro by euro, would translate into strengthening so many strained public services – schools, hospitals, or support for SMEs. However, it is all a mirage and a simulation. Because another figure, the real one, reminds us that the publication of the list is in vain. The other number leaves me roasted on the way to fried: Treasury inspectors report that, from the fiscal year 2025, only 220 million have been recovered. 1.4% of the total. A fiscal hell – for all of us – that doesn't even cover a drop in the ocean. Saying this this week, when the vast majority have noticed in their current accounts how public taxation went through the cash register – whether to return or to pay – serves to remind us that for a long time, we haven't all truly been with the Treasury. In smaller magnitudes, the nascent Tax Agency of Catalonia has made the same list public these days: 60 debtors with an outstanding amount of 184 million, headed by an unknown who owes 65 million. And one is left pondering the doubt of how on earth a debt of 65 million accumulates without anything happening before.I take for granted that the list's case studies are multiple –many stem from bankruptcies and creditor proceedings–, but beyond the nosiness for names and the haggling over some economies, in the altarpiece there are too many usual suspects, flagship companies of the real estate bubble and a few studio characters. The crucial issue is that non-payment is only one of the faces of a structural tax fraud –elusion, evasion, shell companies, false double residency, bonuses for large companies or investment funds– which amounts to 60,000 million euros annually. Wide-eyed people are turning again, trying to ground the hefty sum in an increasingly unequal and striking social reality. The unshakeable feeling that it's all one after another makes a hole. A black hole through which so many things escape.

The Treasury last year settled a total of 547 million euros from individuals "with large assets", which represents a 4.4% increase compared to the previous year. To these actions through the different territorial delegations of the State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT), with 1,329 inspections – a 5.1% increase compared to 2024 – are added those of the Central Unit for the Coordination of Relevant Assets to detect, for example, false residencies. In fact, last year 68 million euros were settled from 145 taxpayers "artificially located in other countries" who actually reside in Spain and must pay taxes there.

The singer and presenter Bertín Osborne and the tonadillera Isabel Pantoja remains among the taxpayers who appear on the list of debtors with the Tax Agency, to which they were already last year. The debt of the first has decreased in this period from 865,601.41 euros to 835,287.38; and that of the second has risen from 1,009,253 to 1,273,872.59 euros. Television personalities Patricia Conde, with 714,615.12 euros, and Kiko Matamoros, with 600,740.64, have re-entered the list from which they had left.

If it is confirmed that the jewels found in the Zapatero case were part of a fraud, the economic question is: why jewels? Why would someone choose this circuit and not an intermediary company or an account abroad?The answer lies in the very nature of the object. A jewel concentrates a lot of value in a very small space. It can be handed over in person. It can be kept in a safe. It can be transported with relative ease. It does not require any bank transfer, leaves no digital trace, and can remain outside the declared circuit for years. From an economic point of view, it functions as black money converted into an object. This is its appeal. Whoever receives a jewel can keep it without it appearing anywhere. It is invisible money. If no one sees it, if no one declares it, and if no one asks about its origin, the wealth exists, but it remains off the tax radar. The tax obligation continues to exist, but the tax authorities cannot detect anything.The problem arises when this jewel has to be converted back into money. A jewel does not pay expenses. It does not pay a pension. To recover liquidity, it must be sold. And here begins the second part of the circuit. If it is sold on the formal market, the invoice appears, the buyer's identification, traceability, and the key question: where did this jewel come from? If it comes from a hidden payment, a disguised donation, or an irregular import, the regular sale can uncover the previous fraud. For this reason, these types of assets often end up in parallel markets. They are sold, at a discount, to buyers who are also interested in operating outside the system. The seller receives less than they would get in a jewelry store or at a formal auction, but avoids declaring. The buyer pays less and may be transforming opaque cash into a small, valuable, and transportable asset. The loss of price is compensated, in part, because taxes and controls do not emerge.In an ordinary jewelry purchase, the applicable VAT in Spain is the general rate of 21%. However, other taxes may arise depending on the origin, transfer, or possession of the asset: wealth tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, transfer tax, or capital gains. The opaque circuit seeks precisely to avoid this.The economic route is this: hidden money, jewelry, storage, opaque resale, new hidden money. It is not a sophisticated mechanism. It is ancient. It is the most efficient way to move wealth without going through the bank.The judicial key in the Zapatero case will be to prove its origin. A jewel can come from an inheritance, a legitimate purchase, a declared donation, or an illegal operation. Economically, the difference lies in the trace. When the trace is missing, it is fraud against the Treasury.

The month of June is key for the income tax return, as the deadline for submitting it ends. From July 1st, we also start counting the deadlines for them to return what we have overpaid. In fact, the Tax Agency has six months to pay us what it owes us from income tax without interest. Only if it does not return it to us from January 1st, do these start to be calculated.For taxpayers, the same does not happen. However, we have three ways to pay the amount if it is due. Firstly, they can charge the full amount to our account on June 30th. The second option is to pay 60% now, in June, and the remaining 40% in November. This installment option does not involve interest, in principle. However, you must ensure that you have the amount available because, if not, you will be charged a surcharge of between 5% and 10% directly when they claim it from you.Thirdly, we can split the payment as if it were a debt. In this case, you must choose the option to acknowledge a debt with the Tax Agency, and we are allowed to pay it in up to twelve monthly installments. This time, yes, with interest, although they usually amount to 1.5% and are therefore much more profitable than a usual loan. Here we must be very careful. If we split it into as many monthly installments as we want, but do not pay one of them, instead of just claiming the amount of that monthly installment, the financing "is lost" and the entire debt is claimed from us. Therefore, this financing option can end up going badly.In any case, and however it may be, while the Treasury can dispose of the money for free until January 1, 2027, we, in case of non-payment, are charged surcharges and interest from the first moment. Benefits of the administration.

In August, holidays. The Spanish Federation of Professional Associations of Tax Technicians and Tax Advisors (Fettaf) has asked the Ministry of Finance to declare this "month an inoperative period for tax and administrative deadlines". This organization, made up of 12 associations from across the country, has written to the ministry, but also to the Secretary of State for Finance and to the different parliamentary groups in the Congress of Deputies, to request several matters. These include, in addition to requesting a break in August, also adjusting the IRPF tariff to inflation (indexation) – which has only been approved on two occasions in the last 20 years – or extending the objection period from 10 to 25 days.

Only in two of the last twenty years – in 2008, under the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE), and in 2015, under Mariano Rajoy (PP), which was actually a tax reform –, the Treasury has deflated the income tax (IRPF) rate, which means adjusting it to inflation to prevent paying more tax despite having the same or lower real income. And the last two times similar measures were taken was before the call for general elections, in March 2008, in which Zapatero was re-elected for a second term, and in December 2015, when Rajoy repeated in office. Between doing it and not doing it, there is an essential difference: from 2019 to 2024, it has meant additional revenue for the State of between 9,700 and 16,700 million, according to various studies. From the left-wing space, led by the PSOE, it is considered that this type of adjustment advocated by the PP and which applies to all incomes, especially benefits the highest ones. And, therefore, they advocate for more selective and direct measures for low or middle-income families, such as reductions and rebates on public transport and others.

The Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) will focus its efforts this year on digital businesses, rentals, and the activity of... influencers. These are some of the guidelines included in the 2026 tax control plan published by the Official State Gazette (Official State Gazette) of this Thursday. One of the important elements for carrying out these actions is all the new financial information available to the Treasury, such as those related to the use of Bizum or cardsIn addition to the data provided by cross-border payment providers and e-commerce platforms, new financial reporting requirements have been added. This will allow for greater control over e-commerce activities and the concealment of payments and collections through so-called neobanks. (digital banks). Other activities that will warrant greater scrutiny by the Tax Agency include fraud by companies with high turnover and by individuals with "significant" assets. The plan anticipates increased oversight of the various business areas within the real estate sector, "in a context of market recovery after years of slowdown." One of the key aspects will be monitoring "the accurate valuation of properties in transfers, especially when related entities or corporate structures are involved."

Sometimes politicians surprise us, and not just in our country. This week's financial news comes from the Netherlands: capital gains—such as stock market profits—will be taxed at 36% even if they haven't been realized through closing the position. This measure represents a profound change from the traditional system, under which taxes are only paid when assets are sold. Even in Spain, for example, losses can be offset against future profits over a five-year period. The implementation of this new model could generate significant deviations in financial management and investor behavior.

An average of more than 500 complaints per day. This is the volume of grievances handled by the economic-administrative courts—bodies attached to the Ministry of Finance—an essential avenue for challenging tax assessments before resorting to the courts, according to regulations. It represents a veritable avalanche of work for these entities. However, in 2024—according to the latest available data—complaints decreased by 17.87% compared to the previous year, reaching 196,442. Conversely, the number of cases resolved, which reached 222,737, increased by 14.20%. The economic-administrative courts in Madrid lead the way in complaints, with more than 33,000; followed by those in Andalusia, with 31,000, and those in Catalonia, with 30,395—the three most populous autonomous communities.

The Spanish Ministry of Finance is investigating a possible cyberattack on its databases, which could have compromised the personal, banking, and tax data of approximately 47.3 million Spanish citizens. For now, the Ministry has stated that there is no indication that a hack has occurred, although its security team continues working to rule it out, according to sources within the department headed by María Jesús Montero. The cybersecurity firm Hackmanac has issued an alert via the social network X (formerly Twitter) about a possible cyberattack on the Ministry of Finance, which could have compromised the personal, banking, and tax data of approximately 47.3 million citizens.

Amid stalled negotiations regarding future income tax collection, the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC) will hire 152 temporary staff members to handle tax returns during the upcoming tax season, starting in May. This represents a 49% increase in such personnel compared to last year. In addition, 36 new offices will be opened throughout Catalonia dedicated to this task. Eight of these will be temporary platforms exclusively for tax return processing, located in Barcelona (three centers), Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, the Baix Llobregat area, and the Besòs area. This tax season, like last year's, is a trial run, as the ATC will assume responsibility for tax collection in the future, as stipulated in the agreement between the PSC and ERC parties for the investiture of Salvador Illa. Negotiations on this matter are ongoing. They are currently strandedThe Republicans are demanding the ability to collect 100% of the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) within two years, while the Socialists are resisting this and believe the timeframe should be longer. The Catalan Tax Agency's (ATC) participation in the 2025 tax return campaign, which was already strengthened last year, involves the announcement of 16 positions for tax management technicians and 136 positions for administrative staff, to be assigned to various locations in Catalonia. The tax management technician positions (subgroup A2, level 22) will be located in Barcelona, ​​Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Maximum territorial coverage

The ATC will provide the service in collaboration with the State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT), ensuring maximum territorial coverage, specialized technical advice, and the interconnection of computer systems between both organizations. The service will offer telephone support from May 6 to June 30 and in-person support from June 1 to 30. Another element in preparing the ATC to take on more work and a greater volume of resources was an agreement with the State Treasury to jointly manage the vehicle registration tax. This agreement concerns a tax that contributes approximately 140 million euros annually. It took almost a year to sign after it was announcedIf the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC) were to collect 100% of the Personal Income Tax (IRPF), it would go from managing approximately €5 billion annually (currently, between its own and transferred taxes) to over €30 billion annually. To apply for positions for the income tax campaign, applicants must hold the required qualifications to join the Catalan Government's technical corps of tax managers and demonstrate C1 level proficiency in Catalan or equivalent. Interested parties must submit form ATC/007/2026 before February 2, 2026, attaching the corresponding curriculum vitae. Regarding administrative positions (subgroup C1, level 14), service will be provided in person at various locations throughout the region. The qualifications for entry into the Catalan Government's administrative corps and C1 level Catalan accreditation are also required. In this call for applications, a total of 10 positions are reserved for people with legally recognized disabilities. Shortlisted candidates will have to pass a multiple-choice knowledge test, scheduled for February 27th in Barcelona, ​​and a personal interview, which will serve to assess their professional skills and provide further information on their curriculum vitae. Selected candidates will receive comprehensive pre-training during the month of April, jointly provided by the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC) and the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT), which will form part of the contract period. The positions will be filled through secondment or temporary appointment for a three-and-a-half-month period, from March 30th to July 10th, 2026. The experience gained and the length of service rendered during this campaign may be considered as merits in future job offers from the Catalan Tax Agency.

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At yesterday's meeting between Vice President Montero and the finance ministers of all the autonomous communities, we heard yet another of those phrases that will go down in the anthology of what used to be called anti-Catalanism and is now more accurately described as Catalanophobia. The honor belongs to the finance minister of Andalusia, Carolina España:

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María Jesús Montero has issued a challenge to the autonomous communities under the common regime, and therefore to the PP, which governs in almost all of them: if they do not wish to adopt the new regional financing model—should it be approved—they can remain with the current system. This is not a new idea, as voluntary participation is already provided for in the law. In fact, in 1996, when the PP and CiU agreed on the financing model in place at the time, some socialist-governed communities did not join. However, de factoThis would mean forgoing the additional funds they would receive under the model agreed upon by the three parties: ERC, the Catalan government, and the Spanish government. In Catalonia's case, this amounts to an additional 4.7 billion euros. "Absolutely nothing will be imposed here," Montero stated at a press conference following the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF), adding that participation in the regional debt forgiveness, which is yet to be voted on in Congress, is also voluntary.

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One of the great mysteries kept under lock and key by the Ministry of Finance is that of the adjusted population. It's the key tool for determining each autonomous community's share of funding, but calculating it becomes a real puzzle. People are assigned different values depending on their age, whether they live in a town or a city, whether they are unemployed, or whether they live on an island—among other factors. Some autonomous communities benefit more from the adjusted population, such as Extremadura, La Rioja, and Cantabria, while others... They would do much better if they used the actual population....like Catalonia. That's why every time a proposed funding model is presented, a flurry of figures ensues, depending on what's being compared. Below, we review the main figures before Wednesday's meeting between regional finance ministers and the Minister of Finance.

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María Jesús Montero has long been waging a crusade against Madrid's "tax dumping." The First Vice President and Minister of Finance has made no secret of her support for discouraging this practice, and this Friday, within the framework of the presentation of the new regional financing modelShe has brought it up again. "It's important to set limits and [approve] mechanisms to prevent tax evasion," she said.

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There are taxpayers who, even now, after the year in which they filed their 2024 income tax return (IRPF), have still not received the refund they requested. This is money they overpaid to the Tax Agency, on which the Agency does not pay interest. Although the Tax Agency has shortened refund processing times, which in some cases are completed in a matter of days, at the beginning of this year there are still 388,899 taxpayers who have not received their refunds, representing 2.6% of the total. Each year there is a similar proportion of outstanding returns, and these are the ones the Tax Agency scrutinizes most closely.

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