The ever-hungry tax office has excelled even its own record for the silliest seizure as its trained officers pounced on a restaurant and took legal charge over four cakes.
The cakes were expertly valued at 30 cents each by the fully trained tax staff as they took a small but important bite out of the restaurant’s €92,000 debt.
The business bank account was frozen and the cakes impounded despite Treasury’s rules stating that it is not sensible at all to seize perishable goods beacause they...perish.
The debt was estimated after an inspection by tax officers who determined that the business owed corporation tax and VAT of €92,000.
Their decision swiftly was challenged in court by the restaurateur who was given a guarantee that there would be no seizures of his assets, perishable or otherwise, while the judge pondered the validity of the Finanças case.
The nabbing of four cakes came about because they were listed on the restaurant’s stock return, an electronic procedure that has been obligatory since July 2013.
The data accessed by Finanças staff showed four cake were in stock, so four cakes were duly seized and in theory will be auctioned off to the highest bidder depending on whether the judge finds for the state or not.
This case of fiscal bullying echoes the rank stupidity of the tax authorities in Oporto which thought it a sensible plan to seize goods donated from a supermarket to a charity that fed the poor. The charity director owed money to the motorway toll company.
Finanças in Oporto soon changed their tune when the press got hold of the story.
See also:
http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/4937-tax-office-seizes-food-destined-for-the-poor
Comments
the journey of a thousand miles and all that
This outfit are simply a bunch of thugs and gangsters,
Out of control, persecuting poor, and innocent citizens, and ignoring the fat cat dons who sre working in the camarras and politics circus.
They recently made new law in portugal, if anyone dares to argue or disagree with any official who works for financas, if that official calls cops and claims hou insulted them, you will be arrested and facing 6 years in prison!
Yes, you read correctly.
Are you still keen living here in this orwellian police state little hell hole? Would you have also made your home in germany in 1939?
The big people have monster scams going on that Financas just tip toe around. Too scared to mess with such important people.
And the heavyweight with ample resources and time to bury their scam deeper. Helped greatly by totally inadequate laws allowing Portuguese banks to keep their clients dealings secret. As with Jose Socrates
So nothing will change for the better ... hopeless !