Gross dishonesty at taxpayer's expense

I wholeheartedly support the view expressed by Michael Bonnici in his letter Government's Bad Debts, (October 7) that the Finance Minister should include in the government's forthcoming budget a list of dues waived/written-off. One hopes that Minister Tonio Fenech will take due note of this request (apparently made by a former PN member of Parliament) as honest taxpayers are disgruntled by the government's evident largesse with those who can only be described as scroungers and even dishonest citizens.

On the publication of such a list, taxpayers will have some idea of who the black sheep are and thus be able to decide, in particular, whether or not they wish to give their custom to the business owners concerned. Why should I spend my hard-earned money in any shop, restaurant etc. whose owner unscrupulously has pocketed VAT instead of passing this on to the government in terms of law?

The same issue of The Times featured a report that a businessman had failed to pay tax totalling €616,184 which he had withheld from his employees' wages. What amazed me is not only the amount involved but the fact that this was accumulated from January 1998 to January 2002. So for four years this businessman was flouting the law and yet he was taken to court in 2009, 11 years after he committed his first offence!

Why did not the Inland Revenue Department take immediate action soon after the first infringement early in 1998? Once the law requires that employers remit to the Revenue monthly such tax as is deducted from employees' salaries it is inconceivable that one was allowed to get away with this persistent contravention for no less than four years. Was this a case similar to the recently revealed VAT cases where civil servants are alleged to have aided and abetted tax evaders?

Surely taking the offender to court is not enough. I hope that, even in this case, the Finance Minister will insist on an internal investigation in the Inland Revenue Department. I do not wear the excuse given to the court by the offending businessman that the funds were retained in the business "to keep the company running". Surely tax deductions from employees' earnings should not be used to provide a business's working capital needs. This, in my view, is none other than sheer robbery at the expense of honest taxpayers.