The cost of Marc Marquez's choice: he loses 6 million every year

For many years Andorra has been the operational base of the world motorcycle racing elite. Many MotoGP riders and others have their residence here, not only for environmental reasons and peace of mind, but also to avoid paying taxes to the Spanish Treasury. Marc Marquez is not among them, however; he has chosen to live in Madrid, together with his inseparable brother Alex.

When we talk about tax savings, the figures are truly incredible. Let’s take Marc Marquez as an example: with estimated earnings of around 15 million euros a year, between his Ducati contract and sponsorships, the numbers change quite a bit. Living in Spain, the MotoGP champion is subject to a top income tax rate approaching 50% (specifically 47% in the highest bracket, starting from 300,000 euros). This means the Cervera rider pays around 7 million euros to the Spanish treasury every year.

If Marc Marquez were a resident of Andorra, the rate would drastically drop to 10%. He would therefore have to pay “only” 1.5 million euros into the Principality’s coffers. We’re talking about a net saving of almost 6 million euros per season.

Among the many riders who live in this mountain tax haven are Fabio Quartararo, Jorge Martin, Alex Rins, the Espargaro brothers, Joan Mir, Jack Miller. Added to these are Superbike riders, including the Binder brothers, Leon Camier, Chaz Davies, Remy Gardner.

Among the big names who continue to prefer Spain are Pedro Acosta and Maverick Vinales. The KTM talent tried moving to Andorra, but after a few days he grew homesick for his homeland. Vinales, on the other hand, returned to his hometown, Roses, after the birth of his daughter Nina. He thus gave up the tax benefits as well, in order to have more services available for himself and his family.