*** Court convicts businessman for tax evasion | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Court convicts businessman for tax evasion

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

The High Criminal Court has convicted a business owner for evading value-added tax (VAT) payments.

According to the Public Prosecution’s Tax Evasion Crimes Unit, the court sentenced the defendant to six months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine equal to the amount of unpaid taxes, totaling BD35,327.319.

The case was initiated after the National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) filed a complaint against the defendant, who owns a sole proprietorship engaged in activities subject to VAT.

The prosecution’s investigation revealed that the defendant had collected the applicable VAT from customers but failed to remit the funds to the NBR, in violation of the law.

During the trial, the defendant admitted to the charges presented against him.

Guilty

The court subsequently issued the guilty verdict, imposing both the prison sentence and the substantial fine.

The case is the latest in a series of actions taken by Bahraini authorities to combat tax fraud and ensure the proper collection of government revenues.