The director general of Impuestos Internos, Juan Hernandez said that tax collections have increased 104% when compared to levels in 1996 when he took over the department. He said that evasion of the value-added tax is down from 37% in 1996 to 22% in 2000. He says the next big step is to pass a general tax amnesty so that all individuals and companies can declare all their assets. From then on, the government would apply the law. The bill, Proyecto de Ley sobre Transparencia Patrimonial de las Personas Físicas, is in Congress pending study. The amnesty would permit the government to start on new ground to administer the tax law and increase collections from individuals.
