Question on Tax Investigation Unit

THE EDITOR: There have been advertisements in the daily press advising the public of the launch of the Criminal Tax Investigation Unit (CTIU) of the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR). Further to same, can the Chairman, BIR or the Minister of Finance allay ones’ fears that this unit is not another arm of the state to criminalise the poor man, as opposed to going after the “Big Boys”? Institutionalised at the BIR are: (1) Compliance Unit, (2) Office Audit, (3) Field Audit and (4) Special Investigations, all sections capable of ensuring the economic and effective collection of taxes in a just and equitable manner. Why CTIU?

Are the aforementioned sections properly staffed? What is the present compliment of Field Auditors? What special expertise and training, different from qualified Field Auditors do the CTIU possess? How can the packages of CTIU officers be justified when compared to Field Auditors (qualified Accountants with ten, fifteen years experience)? One CTIU officer previously a Tax Monitor at a salary of $2,500 plus is now on contract at $8,000 plus a month. What special expertise has he acquired and basically the same can be asked of all officers of the CTIU. I humbly submit that the first assignment of this elite unit, be an immediate investigation into the Tax Declarations of the Jamaat al Muslimeen.

Assignment two, investigate Ministers of government past and present given their affluence. Assignment three, investigate Tax Returns filed by known lawyers eg defence and prosecuting teams of the Airport Inquiry Court Matter. On completion and successful prosecution for any violations of the tax laws, publication in the print and electronic media of guilty parties should be made. Convince me that this Unit is worth its privileged financial packages compared to Field Auditors, and also that its focus are on the white-collar criminals in this country.

JEROME KANHAI
Penal