Tax authorities freeze almost 250,000 accounts
The freezing of
bank accounts by the tax authorities in order to recoup taxes from
taxpayers gained impetus in the first quarter of the year: over
240,200 accounts were seized in the first quarter, 33% more than in
the similar period of last year, according to data provided by the
National Agency for Tax Administration (ANAF).
In 2009 the
accounts of nearly 894,000 taxpayers were seized because they had
unpaid debts to the state budget.
The tax authorities
are also attempting to force taxpayers with low debts to the state
to pay their dues by freezing bank accounts and by seizing goods,
in the context where budget revenues are dwindling, while costs are
not cut at the same pace.
The average value
of a debt leading to an account freeze has, however, fallen, amid
an effort to recover small amounts, as well. In Brasov county, for
instance, the tax authority froze almost 6,700 accounts in the
first three months of 2010, 18% more than in the similar period of
last year.