The Inland Revenue Department has cautioned the people that a suspected organised group is collecting the outstanding tax arrears, targeting businesspeople in the guise of Inland Revenue Officers in Colombo and the suburbs, a senior official from the department said. Inland Revenue Commissioner General W.A.S. Chandrasekara told the Sunday Times that soon after she was alerted about such incidents, the department complained to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the scam.
“We suspect there is an organised gang behind this. They collect funds due as recovery taxes in cash and cheques. This is not the legal way to settle tax arrears,” Ms. Chandrasekara said while stressing that any official correspondence with taxpayers was carried out only in writing.
The Commissioner General said that in terms of the IRD regulations, a taxpayer could pay the tax and arrears to the department’s bank account by using their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
Source: Sunday Times
