2004News

Cocco denounces RD$100-billion tax evasion

Miguel Cocco, the head of the Customs Department, told reporters that during the previous administration over RD$100 billion in import taxes went unpaid to the government. Cocco announced that over the past two weeks his office had recovered RD$400 million in re-evaluated custom duties for 23 different commercial establishments, Plaza Lama being one of them. In a jocular mood, Cocco said that while his people were collecting RD$30-RD$40 million per day, they were “just warming up.” The Customs chief said that on Monday there would be 80 inspectors visiting an equal number of commercial establishments in order to recover significant sums of money owed in import duties. Regrettably, Cocco expects to recover just half of the RD$100 billion cited, since the law allows the government only two years to collect overdue import duties. One of the big targets for the customs inspectors are those vehicles that entered the country without paying taxes. Cocco pointed out that those who evaded paying the import duties on their cars or other vehicles will not be able to renew their license plates unless they pay the piper. He calculated that as much as RD$675 million could be recovered in this one area alone.

Cocco furthermore announced plans to collect as much as RD$50 billion over the next two years in customs.