Belarra in Leganés: who really pays the most tax in Spain?

Belarra in Leganés: the taxation that divides neighborhoods

Does a working-class neighborhood pay more tax than a luxury enclave? Ione Belarra's visit to Leganés has sparked a war of figures over who really bears the tax burden. The Podemos candidate for the Senate toured the La Fortuna neighborhood wearing shorts, a gesture that lit up social media and turned into a debate that goes beyond the anecdote: the fiscal gap between salaried workers and large fortunes.

The spark of the debate

Belarra visited Leganés during the pre-campaign period, according to the circulating video, and her informal attire prompted comments that soon shifted to the substance: why criticize a politician who dresses like her neighbors while fiscal inequalities remain untouched? The conversation escalated into a clash between two realities: that of working-class neighborhoods, where a payslip leaves no room to hide income, and that of high-income areas like La Sarracena, where capital can be structured to minimize payments to the tax authorities.

The figures fueling the debate

Concrete figures crept into the exchange of arguments. Juan Roig, chairman of Mercadona, declared a gross salary of 12 million euros in 2024, on which the company said he pays 54% in income tax (IRPF), leaving him 5.5 million net. To that amount are added 187 million in dividends, taxed under the savings regime at lower rates. Estimates of his total personal tax bill range between 50 and 100 million a year. Against that, it is argued that an average worker in Leganés earning 30,000 euros can face an effective rate close to 20-25% on their disposable income, with no way to avoid it. The gap lies less in the percentage than in the base: while salary is taxed from the first euro, dividends enjoy more favorable taxation.

Two opposing views

Some argue that capital income has already been taxed at the corporate level (Corporate Income Tax) and that double taxation is partially corrected. Others point out that high salaries – like Roig's – do reach the top rate, but that most wealth from dividends falls outside the highest income tax brackets. The debate tests the real pogre of the system: are payrolls carrying the weight of the welfare state while the biggest fortunes optimize?

Belarra's walk through Leganés was meant to show closeness to residents, but it has become a thermometer of fiscal tension. While some count euros, others measure hips. Ironies of the pre-campaign, where the candidate's shorts ended up exposing a tax system that, depending on where you look from, is not the same for everyone.