More than 20,000 applications to benefit from the reduction in interests and fines on tax due, announced by the Finance Ministry in September, were submitted by last Monday.

The ministry said in a statement that taxpayers who chose to join the scheme could be entitled to a 90 per cent reduction in interest and fines if they paid their dues for the years 1998 to 2007. If they owed tax for previous years, they could save 25 per cent on the balance.

It said that missing tax forms had to be submitted by next Wednesday. The department would then send updated tax statements as well as a notification of the tax which had to be paid for one to benefit from the scheme.

The ministry said 20,000 people asked about the scheme by telephoning the call centre in the past days, 2,500 sent an e-mail and 12,000 visited the department.

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