The court papers released by Lod District Court officials uncover that the former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio has lived in Israel for 185 days in 2009 and 131 days in 2010.
- May 14, 2019
AceShowbiz - Bar Refaeli has been ordered to pay back million of dollars in back taxes in her native Israel.
The supermodel had been under investigation for several years and is accused of misleading tax authorities about her earnings and whereabouts, with Refaeli's legal team claiming she was living in the U.S. with then-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio in 2009 and 2010, meaning she should not have to pay Israeli income tax for that time period.
However, a judge has rejected her version of events, and, according to the Times of Israel, has demanded she pay up.
On Sunday, May 12, officials at the Lod District Court publicised their ruling, stating Refaeli owed $2.25 million (£1.72 million) plus another $33,710 (£25,800) in court fees.
Court papers stated: "At the beginning of the period, Rafaeli's parents' home in Hod Hasharon was a permanent home, and after that her permanent home was a rented apartment in the Yoo Towers. In the last months of the period in question, Rafaeli moved to another rented apartment in the W Towers, that was only for her use."
According to the verdict, bosses at Tel Aviv's W and Yoo towers paid for her rent in order to publicise that she was living in the buildings. Claims that the payments were made without her knowledge were unproven and were "contrary to common sense," the court officials said.
It was found that the fashion star, who is now married to businessman Adi Ezra, lived in Israel for 185 days in 2009 and 131 days in 2010, enough for her to be considered a resident of the country by tax authorities.
