Win a television contest In Spain it may seem like a blow of luck that changes the life of anyone. The most seen prime time programs, from the realities of coexistence to the musical talent shows, promise awards that are around 100,000 or 200,000 euros and are announced as if they were a direct check to the winner’s pocket. But reality is very different, since Hacienda never loses its part And, in many cases, the prize is reduced by half before reaching the hands of the winner.
That has been the case of Borja González, brand new winner of ‘Survivors 2025’which has made public the figures of its prize. Of the 200,000 euros promised by reality, you can barely enjoy little more than half once the Treasury and the Generalitat Valenciana apply their fiscal bite.
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“Of the 200,000 euros they were, I have been admitted 162,000, that is, they have already taken 38,000,” confessed the winner. This first reduction responds to the 19% retention that the producer applies in a mandatory way in all television contest awards. But it is not the end of the invoice. The law forces to declare the prize as a patrimonial gain in the IRPF, subject to the progressive system of sections.
In the case of the Valencian Community, where Borja has his fiscal residence, according to the Published tables For the year of 2024, the income that exceeds 150,000 euros taxes at 28.5%, and those that reach 200,000 to 29.5%. That implies that Borja must enter around 50,000 euros more to the Treasury when he declares the rent, which will reduce its effective prize to about 110,000 euros.
The ironic contestant himself on the paradox himself: “The strong thing is that if it were from Madrid, Murcia, Galicia, I could pay up to € 10,000 less. Come on, I get a little silly and it’s my turn to pay for having won.”
This occurs because the place of fiscal residence makes a difference. The fiscal competence between autonomous communities causes substantial differences in the taxpayers’ pocket, even for a case as media as that of a reality show. While in Madrid or Galicia the maximum guy barely exceeds 21%, in Valencia it brushes 30%, shooting the final load.
In addition, it should be remembered that the initial retention of 19% does not exempt from declaring the prize. Many contest winners make the mistake of thinking that with that payment they have already complied, but not doing so can lead to sanctions by the Treasury of up to 50% of what was stopped entering, although with possible reductions for acceptance and soon payment.