The National Office of Tax Administration of Cuba (ONAT) detected tax evasion in the first four months of the year that exceeds 800 million pesos.
Belkis Pino Hernández, first deputy head of the ONAT, revealed to the newspaper Granma that in the first four months of the year, some 80,852 control actions were carried out, in which debts for a total amount of 819 million 594 thousand pesos were identified.
According to the official, at the end of 2023 and until last May, 210 reports of complaints for alleged tax evasion were filed, of which 207 correspond to natural persons and only three to entities.
Of that sum, 30 files were archived when the debtors paid their due payments, another 117 files continued their legal course and 63 cases remain pending.
Among the irregularities detected are the outdated, manipulation or alteration of books, records, subledgers and other models, the cancellation of accounts receivable without documentary support and the non-declaration of the hired workforce.
Judith Navarro Ricardo, a specialist in the legal department, reported that the ONAT’s response to these “fraudulent actions” was to carry out a “high number” of authorization withdrawals, bank account seizures and regulations for leaving the country (travel bans). The board did not offer data.
In recent years, the ONAT has reinforced its persecution of tax defaulters and fraudsters, with the application of sanctions that can include fines of up to five thousand pesos, closure of establishments, seizure of accounts and more recently the prohibition of leaving the country for those who have not paid their obligations.
In 2022, the Office signed an agreement with the Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Immigration (DIIE) of the Ministry of the Interior to prevent citizens with “significant” debts from leaving the country. Until September of last year, about 600 taxpayers had been regulated.
Last October, the government prevented a taxpayer from Sancti Spíritus who owed nine million from leaving the country of pesos in taxes.
