After inconsistencies were detected between purchases reported by taxpayers and sales that the company declared to the tax authority, an investigation was initiated in Guatemala into the "La Barata" supermarket chain.
During the morning of December 7, representatives of the Public Ministry (MP) and the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT), held a press conference in which they explained some details about a new case of alleged tax fraud by the chain of stores "La Barata."
For the first time, the country's Courts of Justice sentenced six people to 10 years in prison for tax fraud against the Public Treasury, a sentence that corresponds to the case of a clothing importing company that defrauded over $575,000.
Carlos Vargas, general director of Taxation, indicated that during 16 years the taxpayer who was condemned used all the procedural guarantees until the last instance.
In order to tax the total amount of profits of individuals or corporations based in Costa Rica, regardless of where their profits are generated, a bill was submitted to the Assembly that seeks to amend the Income Tax Law.
Currently in Costa Rica a territorial income system is applied, which consists of taxing profits produced exclusively at the local level. If the Income Tax Law is modified, the situation could change.
Implementing a rescue plan in which SAT makes tax collections more flexible and IGSS assists employees is part of the proposal of Guatemalan businessmen in the commercial and service sector, given the crisis that has been generated by the health emergency.
Extension of deadlines for the payment of taxes and flexibility in the submission of income tax returns by natural and legal persons are some of the measures that the authorities will implement in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.
With no details on the new deadlines that will be required of taxpayers, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) reported that the measures are contained in Executive Decree 252 of March 24.
The Superintendence of Tax Administration declared the days between March 24 and April 14 as non-working days for the purposes of calculating the periods established in the tax legislation.
On March 24, Resolution of the Superintendence of Tax Administration Number SAT-DSI-280-2020 was published in the Official Journal, in which the days of March 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 and 31, 2020, and April 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14, 2020, inclusive, were declared non-working days for purposes of deferring the computation of the terms established in the tax legislation and the internal administrative procedures of this entity.
The National Assembly of Panama approved in second debate the draft law that extends the period of tax amnesty until June 30, 2020.
The initiative proposes that up to 85% of the total interest, surcharges and fines be recognized if payment is made after February 29, 2020 until June 30 of the same year, so that taxpayers may proceed to make their corresponding payments or credits.
In view of the emergency arising from the spread of covid-19, a bill was submitted to the Assembly proposing a 90-calendar-day suspension of the payment of municipal and national taxes.
The initiative also establishes the suspension for 90 days of the payment of electricity and drinking water, as well as mortgage and personal loans, among others, reported the National Assembly.
The Legislative Assembly approved a moratorium of three non-extendable months, in sanctions, arrears, interests, fines or any other sanctioning disposition, related to the collection of the value added tax, which became effective last July 1.
Taxpayers qualified by the Tax Administration as large national taxpayers and large territorial companies are excluded from this moratorium, explains a statement from the Legislative Assembly.
In Costa Rica, the banking sector won a lawsuit it imposed against the Ministry of Finance, arising from disagreements over the method used to calculate tax payments.
The legal dispute dates back several years, since in 2003 the General Directorate of Taxation (DGT) validated the methodology suggested by the Costa Rican Banking Association (ABC) to calculate the payment of taxes on the income of financial intermediaries.
In Honduras, rebates and discounts applied to sales should be detailed on the invoice, a change with which the business sector would disagree if the government decides to collect taxes on the discounted amount.
On March 1, the changes to the invoices, which were imposed by Agreement 817-2018, came into effect. Among them, it is important to note that the fields for discounts and rebates must be included in the format of the document.
The law that criminalizes tax evasion was approved by the National Assembly when the amount defrauded in a fiscal period of one year is equal to or greater than $300.000.
With a majority vote, Project 591, which criminalizes tax evasion in the Criminal Code and is considered a crime resulting from money laundering, was approved in the third debate, informed the Legislative Assembly.
The new tax reform proposal presented by the Ministry of Finance of Costa Rica includes the creation of a global income system to impose and collect a tax on the profits of companies and individuals.
Taxing all of the profits of natural and legal persons, including those currently paid separately by the identity code income method, is the principal new feature of the new tax reform plan presented by the Ministry of Finance.
In El Salvador the plan is to implement a pilot plan to test the electronic billing system over the next two months, starting with six companies.
The global project that will simplify 63 processes currently carried out by large taxpayers is expected to be consolidated in the next two or three years, since it is still in the stage of purchasing computer equipment.