$1.5b in Tax Evasion Identified From Bank Accounts in Iran

EghtesadOnline: About 63 trillion rials ($1.49 billion) worth of unpaid tax were identified in the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2018) as a result of a new scheme to monitor dubious bank transactions, the head of Iran National Tax Administration said.

News ID: ۷۸۳۰۵۷

25 June 2018

"These were heavy bank transactions with high figures while 3,200 natural and legal tax evaders were also identified by the tax administration," Seyyed Kamel Taqavinejad also told IBENA.

He said a portion of the figure has been cleared without elaborating on the amount, adding that the process is ongoing.

"Fighting tax evasion is one of the most important approaches of the tax administration and it has the ability to combat any evasion or rent-seeking in this area," Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.

The INTA chief pointed out that the scheme faced internal resistance from both state-run and privately-owned enterprises when it was first proposed. But he added that the initiative has been successful in its mandate since it has managed to identify high volumes of unpaid tax from major bank depositors.

"INTA has been successful, as those with major tax evasion records have now been recognized," he said.

Taqavinejad also warned that "no one is an exception" in the eyes of the initiative that seriously aims to curb tax evasion as a vital source of income for the government.

The tax administration has devised and implemented a comprehensive plan across many sectors to collect tax more efficiently. It has created an online system for taxpayers, established an in-house department for combating money laundering and tax evasion, and monitors high-volume or suspicious bank transactions.