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Wednesday, 30 April 2008
The government is going after corrupt employees of the Inland Revenue Division.
Finance Minister Audley Shaw pulled no punches as he issued a warning to new graduates of a Tax Administration training programme Wednesday morning.
He noted that corruption in public sector agencies is a two way street that involved clients and employees.
Mr. Shaw said there would be zero tolerance for bribery on both sides of the tax office counter.
"The corruption of illegal licensing of motor vehicles at my internal revenue departments will (stop) and those who are involved in it are being warned that people are going to be arrested, tried and put in prison."
He said there cannot be revenue agents who are entrusted to protect the revenue of the country who are also working with tax payers to falsify documents in the department.
The Finance Minister said he had no problem going after anybody in any government department.
"Whether it is internal revenue, whether it is customs, whether it is petroleum, industry, the betting gaming and lotteries industry ... all of those are riddled with corruption right now and the RPD will be targeting them."
Mr. Shaw said if the country does not come to grips with the problem of corruption, then all would want a one way ticket out of the country.
He was addressing graduates of a tax audit and revenue administration post graduate diploma programme.
Thirty nine revenue agents completed the course this year, bringing to over 500 the number of graduates since the programme was introduced a decade ago.
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