Spanish tax agency publishes list of leading individuals, companies with significant debts

The Spanish tax agency (Hacienda Publica) published a list of individuals and companies on Thursday who owe over a million euros (around 1.1 million U.S. dollars) in unpaid tax revenue to the state.

The total debt is calculated at 15.7 billion euros and the list includes 4,768 names with the largest amounts being owed by some major companies.

Estate agents Reyal Urbis and Nozar owe 368 million euros and 203 million euros respectively as a result of the collapse of the construction and housing market during the economic crisis.

Several Spanish sports clubs also owe large sums of money, with Real Murcia football club in debt 10.5 million euros to the tax agency.

The oldest football club in Spain, Recreativo de Huelva, owes 13.5 million euros, while Racing de Santander needs to pay 9.7 million euros.

There are also debts in Spanish basketball with Girona, Valladolid and Estudiantes facing tax unpaid tax bills of 10.1 million euros, 3.2 million euros and 1.7 million euros.

Former FC Barcelona defender, Dani Alves, who has just joined Italy's Juventus football team, motorcyclist Dani Pedrosa, and former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, are among sports personalities to be "named and shamed" along with former banker, Mario Conde, who is thought to owe almost 10 million euros to the state.

Thursday also saw the Madrid offices of Google searched as part of a separate tax investigation thought to be centered on VAT payments and tax on earnings of companies and individuals not registered as resident in Spain.

Google responded by publishing a communique saying the company followed, "Spain's tax legislation as we do in every country that we operate in," and that it was "cooperating with authorities in Spain to respond to all their questions, as always." Endit