He hasn’t bitten his tongue. The lawyer of Jorge Lorenzo released this Monday a harsh press release signed by the former pilot of MotoGP to clarify the situation that has confronted the Spanish Tax Agency with a favorable result for the man from Palma in court. whatever it was three-time world champion in the premier classretired since 2019, has won the legal battle, but regrets the damage caused to his public image and also the personal anguish suffered by the “chasing” of the Treasury, “even in the paddock, before a race”, that came to affect him negatively when he was still active.
This is the complete note that the Mallorcan has writtena current Dazn commentator, in protest at what he considers an “unfair” situation that has lasted for more than five years:
“Recently, a series of news items on the disputes that I have had with the Spanish Treasury have been published in various media. I want to write you a few lines to give you my vision of what happened. As you all know, Many years ago I decided to go live in Lugano, a small but modern Swiss city barely an hour from Milan. I left, like many other athletes, because I needed the tranquility that the town offered me when I wasn’t traveling halfway around the world and because of the possibility of training at the Yamaha team facilities (60 km from my home). And of course, too I positively valued the tax regime that it offers its citizens, much more reasonable and less aggressive and confiscatory than that of other sites”.
“In June 2017, the Spanish Treasury opened a tax inspection challenging my status as a Swiss tax resident. The inspection ended up covering 2013 to 2016. Despite the fact that the Swiss authorities insisted that my situation was perfectly legal, the Spanish Treasury always questioned everything. Thus, he sent hundreds of requests to my sponsors and teams, seeking not only information but also my discredit in front of public opinion, making me appear in the media as a fraudster. They even went so far as to send some emissaries to the paddock itself to force me to sign a document. I was robbed and blocked my exit when I was going to get on the bike minutes before starting a race. Equally, I had to advance the money that they demanded of me, to avoid embargoes and humiliating situations (such as appearing on lists of defaulters). A real joke.”
“I have suffered a lot these five and a half years. As a professional, I have always tried to stay focused on the races by isolating myself from the noise of third parties. But I must admit that the pressure and anguish that this unfair and twisted persecution of the Spanish Treasury caused me ended up affecting my professional life. They came to defeat me emotionally. What other competitors could not. A year and a half ago, at the end of June 2021, already retired from the competition, I finally saw the light. The Central Economic Administrative Court agreed with my lawyer regarding the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. A forceful resolution annulled the settlements that had been improperly transferred to me. And naturally, they returned the money that I had advanced. Now, there was never any kind of repair for the damage caused. No compensation for damages. Not an apology, public or private, letter or call. Nothing”.
“In December, a new pronouncement, this time from the Regional Economic Administrative Court of Catalonia, once again agreed with me in 2016. I am confident that this nightmare will end with this. Taxes are necessary and if the money is good managed by the Administration (which is not always the case), contributing is something to be proud of. But what is also undeniable is that taxes must be paid wherever you live. The Spanish Treasury started a witch hunt and thought they had found a scapegoat. They were wrong. Yes indeed, Nobody is going to give me back the sleepless nights or the peace I needed to concentrate on the circuits”.
