The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has frozen the bank accounts of more than 200 persons and entities for non-payment of last year’s taxes, the state’s revenue collection agency said in its Annual Report released last Thursday.
The bank accounts of 285 persons and entities who had failed to pay taxes were frozen last year with MVR 90.3 million in unpaid taxes recovered.
The report also noted that actions were taken against 17,054 tax evaders last year with the agency’s measures recovering MVR 3.9 billion in outstanding taxes.
The most common recovery measure was by sending notices to those who had not paid their taxes, the report said. Notices were sent to 10,013 parties resulting in the receipt of MVR2.2 billion.
According to the report, 6,234 parties paid their taxes by the deadline, with MVR 1.4 billion collected.
A further MVR 259.5 million was recovered, from 473 persons, under the agency’s name and shame policy.
Reminders by the agency, through calls and emails, to 32 parties resulted in the recovery of an additional MVR 3.4 million in outstanding taxes, while legal action was taken against 20 tax evaders through which MVR 335,429 had been recovered for the state.
MIRA additionally provided some tax defaulters, with a total tax outstanding of MVR 1.9 billion, the opportunity to pay in instalments. Of those who had been given the opportunity to pay in instalments, MIRA received MVR 1.2 billion as of last year, the report said.
