Victoria Federica must pay taxes for her trips and gifts as an influencer: the Treasury catches ‘chub’

Working as an influencer is relatively new. Maria Pomboconsidered one of the first professional instagramers in Spain, has barely lived on brands for ten years; Victoria Federica, however, it has been one of the last to arrive in the world. Now what Hacienda starts his 2022 Income campaign, he cannot be confused, because if the tax authorities asked his grandfather, the emeritus Don Juan Carlosthe invoices for the hams and the hunts with friends (among other things), she will have to account for her advertising trips or the gifts she receives from the brands.

The daughter of the Infanta Elena is taking off in this world and she does it with a firm and very careful step. There are few brands that have Victoria Federica as an official ambassador (she did a campaign for Hoss and has just signed for Multiópticas) and even less the gifts that she receives and shows her followers (Loewe or Dior bags). Until recently, no influencer declared bribery to the Tax Agency, much less the trips they enjoyed or the restaurants they went to in exchange for advertising on networks. There was a legal loophole. Now, the story (and the law) has changed: they are not considered income as such but remuneration and, therefore, must be reported.

The General Law of Audiovisual Communication (published in the BOE in July 2022) defines influencers as providers of audiovisual communication services and, as such, they must be registered as self-employed or have their own company and must, in turn, register in a Registry State. In addition to invoicing their professional activity like that of any other self-employed worker, they must communicate any service (travel, restaurant, beauty session, manicure…) that they receive in exchange for advertising or mention on social networks, as well as the gifts (clothing, bags…) that they receive from the brands, since the Tax Agency considers them subject to declaration. Thus, the services for which an influencer must declare to the Treasury are divided into five categories: direct advertising, consumer advertising, travel and gifts, YouTube (in the event that the platform pays the account holder a commission by random advertising) and product sales.

A practical and very current example: Victoria Federica has enjoyed a dream trip to the Riviera Maya last Easter and in her publications she has indicated the hotel where she has stayed (an exclusive resort). In the event that you have enjoyed this accommodation for free in exchange for advertising, that you have enjoyed a considerable price reduction or even that you have charged for going in addition to enjoying the services for free, you must notify the Treasury. Likewise Tamara Falco, who has just returned from Bali, where he has publicized through social networks the luxury travel agency with which he has traveled and the hotel where he has stayed with Iñigo Onieva who, by the way, has shared the images of the trip without mentioning brands or establishments. He doesn’t have to declare them, she does.

The debts of King Juan Carlos

Surely Victoria Federica is well advised and will not repeat the same mistakes that led her grandfather to face off with the Treasury. He was not an influencer, obviously, but his situation was also new: he had just abdicated and had been enjoying inviolability as king for 40 years. By passing the crown to Philip VIThe Treasury believed that Don Juan Carlos should be held accountable as one more citizen and thoroughly investigated the fiscal years from 2014 to 2018. They examined everything from his private jet trips to the hunts to which he was invited and even claimed invoices for Iberian hams or shoes custom made as a gift.

Finally, the emeritus had to pay more than five million euros to avoid being accused of various tax crimes. He now pays taxes in the Emirates, where he settled permanently three years ago.