After a torrent of criticism, the minister of finance Bjarni Benediktsson has pledged full support of the Directorate of Tax Investigations’ (DTI) plan to buy data holding information about potential Icelandic tax evaders hiding their assets abroad.
Last weekend financial minister Bjarni condemned how slowly the DTI has handled the offer to buy the information, received in spring 2014, and told RÚV that it was unattainable to pay for the information with “cash in a suitcase”.
Read more: Tax sinners might be offered amnesty if they turn themselves in
Bjarni’s words provoked hard response from opposition leaders in the parliament, calling his criticism indecent and reeking of nepotism, as the financial minister’s family is one of Iceland’s oldest business dynasties.
The director of the DTI, Bryndís Kristjánsdóttir, responded by pointing out that she had already written to the Ministry of Finance regarding how restrictions, set by the ministry, have tied the hands of her agency.
Following her response and the widespread condemnation of his hitherto lukewarm support of getting access to the data set, financial minister Bjarni declared that money would be made available to buy the information. He also vigorously denied accusations of nepotism and said that all tax evaders would be punished without mercy.
Read more: Financial minister Bjarni accused of nepotism
Tax evasion is a crime in Iceland and conviction may result in fines and imprisonment.
The unknown seller wants 2,500 EUR (2,835 USD) for each of the 416 cases within the data set, or EUR 1,040.000 (1,180,000 USD) in total.
After a torrent of criticism, the minister of finance Bjarni Benediktsson has pledged full support of the Directorate of Tax Investigations’ (DTI) plan to buy data holding information about potential Icelandic tax evaders hiding their assets abroad.
Last weekend financial minister Bjarni condemned how slowly the DTI has handled the offer to buy the information, received in spring 2014, and told RÚV that it was unattainable to pay for the information with “cash in a suitcase”.
Read more: Tax sinners might be offered amnesty if they turn themselves in
Bjarni’s words provoked hard response from opposition leaders in the parliament, calling his criticism indecent and reeking of nepotism, as the financial minister’s family is one of Iceland’s oldest business dynasties.
The director of the DTI, Bryndís Kristjánsdóttir, responded by pointing out that she had already written to the Ministry of Finance regarding how restrictions, set by the ministry, have tied the hands of her agency.
Following her response and the widespread condemnation of his hitherto lukewarm support of getting access to the data set, financial minister Bjarni declared that money would be made available to buy the information. He also vigorously denied accusations of nepotism and said that all tax evaders would be punished without mercy.
Read more: Financial minister Bjarni accused of nepotism
Tax evasion is a crime in Iceland and conviction may result in fines and imprisonment.
The unknown seller wants 2,500 EUR (2,835 USD) for each of the 416 cases within the data set, or EUR 1,040.000 (1,180,000 USD) in total.
