Legislator Marco Vinicio Redondo Quirós, from the Citizen Action Party (PAC), introduced a bill to expand the possibilities to punish tax evaders.
This is an amendment to the Code of Tax Rules and Procedures that reduces the minimum amount to punish tax evasion, from 500 base salaries to only 200.
Redondo explained that the change is necessary because the current threshold (500 basic salaries) encourages impunity.
Tax fraud is usually carried out by large businessmen with powerful ties within politics. While we harshly punish the excluded population mired in poverty, we are pandering to tax evaders,”
said Redondo.
Currently, only natural or legal persons who have defrauded the treasury for an approximate amount of ¢212 million are subject to criminal proceedings. With the reform, that number will drop to ¢85 million.
The initiative focuses on Article 92 of the Code of Tax Rules and Procedures, which imposes a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years for the person who defrauded the exchequer.