The following excerpt was published in The i Paper, a British news publication, featuring an interview with Robert Amsterdam during a visit to Barcelona, Spain.
Robert Amsterdam is dressed in a dapper pin-striped suit but some believe he should be wearing a superhero outfit for fighting back against the Spanish tax authorities who he claims use intimidating tactics against British expatriates.
Amsterdam & Partners, representing an organisation calling itself spanishtaxpickpockets.com, paid for full-page advertisements in the Financial Times along with other newspapers, headed “Spanish Pickpockets Operating in This Area” with a mocked-up picture of the Spanish tax office.
The company, which is based in London and Washington, said: “If you are being exploited under the Beckham law, you are not alone and have rights.”
The advertisement claimed that high-value individuals who move to Spain are targeted by the tax authorities, who try to extract their wealth.
Spanish tax authorities refute the claims.
Britons who are tax residents in Spain are liable for income tax on worldwide income, including assets in the UK. A convention between Britain and Spain says this must prevent double taxation in both countries.
Some Britons say they have been repeatedly targeted with tax audits on their properties in the UK.
Many have faced fines and legal fees of tens of thousands of pounds if they contest Spanish tax orders.
Often, these tax letters arrive just before summer holidays or Christmas, giving recipients only 10 days to respond.
Mr Amsterdam, one of the partners, said not all “victims” of tax authorities come under the so-called Beckham law, which was introduced by Spain in 2004 when David Beckham moved to play for Real Madrid. It was designed to attract high-value individuals by offering a lower rate of tax. (…)
Mr Amsterdam, who was arrested in 2005 while working in the Russian capital and deported, said no victims wanted to be named because all were fearful they would be targeted by the tax authorities.
He said tax inspectors received €1.2 billion (£1.01bn) in bonuses in the past 10 years for pursuing cases but were not accountable. This amounts to 1.4 per cent of their salaries which he estimates to be between €300,000-€600,000 (£254,265-£508,530) per year.
“I think it is absolutely shameful and despicable that a European government behaves in this fashion. Have you listened to what the head of the tax office says? How she says they’re checking everyone’s social media? I mean you would think you were in Albania under [the dictator] Enver Hoxha,” he said.
A report by Mr Amsterdam’s company, called Spanish Tax Office Against The People, includes the case of Mike, a British businessman whose name was changed to hide his identity.
Mike moved to Spain in 2018 to set up a business and took advantage of the Beckham law.
After moving back to the UK, the Spanish tax authorities started an investigation into Mike’s tax affairs but he could not have imagined what would follow.