Two women in the public eye have been acquitted of tax fraud in the past week and both have spoken of the personal toll an investigation by the tax authorities took on them.

Colombian singer Shakira has had a £48 million fine overturned by the Spanish High Court following her appeal against the tax authorities, who claimed that her primary residence was in Spain for the 2011 fiscal year, but failed to prove it.

Speaking after her acquittal, a statement by Shakira’s lawyer said that the decision ‘comes after an eight-year ordeal that has taken an unacceptable toll’ on the singer.

It went on to say that she had endured brutal public shaming, orchestrated campaigns to destroy her reputation and sleepless nights that ended up affecting her health and the wellbeing of her family.

Arguably less famous on the global stage but a well-known figure in UK politics, Labour MP Angela Rayner has recently been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, following an investigation into the payment of Stamp Duty.

In a statement, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne said that although HMRC’s investigation determined that the higher rate of Stamp Duty was due on an £800,000 flat, it also concluded that she had acted with reasonable care and was not at fault.

She has now paid the higher Stamp Duty rate owed on the property.

Ms Rayner was put under intense public scrutiny after admitting she had underpaid Stamp Duty on a second property.

She said she believed that she was not liable for the second property surcharge because she had sold her stake in her family home in Ashton-under-Lyne to a trust established in 2020 to benefit her disabled son.

However, once she realised an error had been made, she worked with HMRC to resolve the matter and pay what was due.

Roger Isaacs, Forensics Partner at Milsted Langdon, comments, “Cases like these remind us that tax investigations can have an impact that goes well beyond the financial side of things.

“Once allegations are out in the open, especially when they involve someone in the public eye, reputational damage can set in long before the full facts have been determined.

“Even if an investigation later concludes there was no deliberate wrongdoing, the harm to someone’s reputation can be incredibly hard to undo.

“That is why early professional advice is important in these situations. It helps ensure the technical issues are dealt with properly and that the relevant evidence is put forward to the authorities in the right way, helping to limit any fallout.”