Brits demand a tax rebate from Spain

Country:  Other Spanish Places, Spain; Spain

20 June 2008

Hundreds of Brits have joined forces to take action against the Spanish government in a bid to reclaim an estimated £86m in overpaid capital gains tax (CGT). 

Homesoverseas.co.uk reported back in April that Britons who sold a property in Spain between June 2004 and December 2006 could be owed a refund as a result of a Spanish government's capital gains tax 'scam', which saw Brits overcharged CGT by 20%.

It was initially thought that the total amount to be reclaimed was around £11,000 per person. However, hundreds of Brits have registered average reclaims of over £19,300 each – totaling more than an estimated £86m.

Spanish lawyer, Emilio Alvarez, comments: “If anyone believes they have been affected by this they need to move quickly, due to stringent legal restrictions some people have already missed out but thousands of Brits can still join forces and fight to get the Spanish tax authorities to pay back the money owed.

“In some cases potential claimants are being put off by the lawyers who acted for them during the sale as they are being told that they will not be able to get hold of the necessary forms (Form 212) or that this consumer campaign will not succeed. As a result, we are offering to speak to the Spanish Tax Office on behalf of any clients who have doubts to ascertain whether or not they are eligible and get the forms they need.”

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