GDT Asks Citizens To Report Corruption

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The General Department of Taxation (GDT) on Monday encouraged citizens and firms to file complaints against officials who demand additional money when collecting tax payments.

REUTERS/Choi Bu-Seok

The announcement follows a raft of claims on social media accusing the GDT of overcharging taxpayers.

“Taxpayers can fulfill their obligations at any branch of the GDT throughout the country or at selected commercial banks that have entered partnerships with the government,” GDT said.

“After every payment, the official will issue an invoice with all the information regarding the type of tax and the amount paid.

“If an official takes a larger amount of money than that specified in the invoice, taxpayers are encouraged to file a complaint by submitting all the relevant information – including the taxpayer’s and the official’s name and any other relevant document – to a GDT branch. GDT will then take responsibility and solve the problem,” GDT said.

“Complaints can also be submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Anti-Corruption Unit via email or by phone,” it added.

In order to bring more businesses into the regulatory fold, in May the government promised attractive new incentives for companies that register before December, including a two-year break on tax revenue.

Cambodia now has over 510,000 micro, small and medium-sized businesses, but only 20,000 are registered with the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts, which means more than 95 percent of businesses operate informally.

Last year, the GDT collected $1.93 billion in tax revenue, an increase of 27.8 percent compared to a year earlier, according to official data.

This article was originally published in the Khmer Times.