Sophia Loren wins 39-year tax battle

In 1974 the Italian government asserted that Sophia Loren owed them seventy percent of her income. Loren refused and paid only sixty. After a thirty-nine year debate about the issue it was finally settled on October 23 and she was cleared regarding the tax evasion charges.

Rome’s Court of Cassation established that Loren was actually correct and that the sixty percent she paid was the correct amount. Loren commented to La Stampa saying, “A saga that has lasted nearly forty years is finally over. I always look to the future and I leave bad experiences like this one behind me.”

The Italian actress is not entirely unfamiliar with taxes and issues revolving around paying them and paying the correct amount. In 1982, she infamously spent seventeen days in jail in Italy for another tax-related incident. The sentence was actually thirty days and she claimed it was because her accountant made a mistake before he passed away. It was unrelated to the 1974 taxes.

Loren, now seventy-nine, is famous for a number of movies filmed in the 1950s and 1960s including her first film ‘Houseboat.’ She acted alongside the likes of Charlton Heston and Richard Burton. She currently lives in Switzerland.