FC Barcelona has lost its appeal against a tax assessment of 23 million euros. The Catalan top club was imposed this because of incorrect tax returns between 2012 and 2015. Barcelona confirms the news and immediately announces that it will appeal to the Supreme Court.

The much-discussed club in financial terms was fined by the Spanish authorities in 2020. Barcelona are said to have paid fees to players between 2012 and 2015, while reporting that they would pay them to agents.

However, much more tax is paid on player salaries in Spain. The aforementioned 23 million had to bridge the difference.

Barcelona appealed against the fine, but the Audiencia Nacional – the Spanish court – rejected it on Friday. The Catalans called the decision 'surprising' in an official statement.

Barcelona believes that current case law has not been consulted carefully enough and sees other clubs being vindicated in similar cases. The club also points to a side case of the club, 'an identical problem in which the appeal was honored'.

The Spanish superpower already takes into account that it will eventually have to pay. Barcelona concludes the statement by reporting that the 23 million has already been included in the annual accounts.

The club already owed a significant amount to the tax authorities, it was reported El Confidencial in May. The Spanish tax authorities imposed a fine of 15.7 million euros on Barcelona for incorrect tax returns in 2015. At that time, paid charter flights, lease cars and compensation for the contract terminations of Arda Turan and Alex Song were allegedly incorrectly communicated.

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