Daily Times

Andres Iniesta said he has paid additional tax owed in Japan over his failure to declare part of his income, but claimed that he had also declared the earnings in Spain.

Spanish World Cup winner Iniesta, who spent five years with Japan’s Vissel Kobe until 2023, was found to have failed to declare approximately 860 million yen ($5.7 million) in income for 2018, according to public broadcaster NHK and other media.

If a foreign player’s contract is for less than one year and they are not accompanied by family members, Japanese authorities classify them as non-residents and they pay less tax than residents, reports said, citing the National Tax Agency. The Osaka regional tax bureau judged that during 2018 Iniesta was a resident as he lived with his family members and was on a multi-year contract. He was issued with an additional tax demand of approximately 580 million yen as a result.