The Tax and Customs Authority (TA) is investigating officials have consulted the Prime Minister’s tax information, found the PUBLIC. The professionals concerned were called to the core of internal audit, to be heard by leaders of the AT.
The targeted workers – whose number is unknown – are being monitored by the legal aid service of the Tax Workers Union (STI). The president of the union structure, Paul Ralha, did not speak up when contacted by the PUBLIC on specific cases or on the number of workers involved. He noted, however, that the STI is always with employees about who considers that there is “pressure” in the sense of their being open disciplinary procedures.
Ensuring that the STI will always be “on the side of the workers” Paul Ralha said only that “it was requested a meeting with a senior TA to address various issues”, including this one. The meeting is scheduled for December 17, Wednesday of next week.
The president of the Association of Professionals of Tax Inspection (PATI), Nuno Barroso, said to have been aware that AT “will initiated disciplinary proceedings to employees who have accessed the information subject to tax and professional secrecy, one or more contributors, for which were not due and superiorly accredited “. Barroso says, however, not known whether concerned are the cases involving the prime minister’s tax data. “Not knowing the situations that will eventually have originated these internal procedures”, the President of PATI stresses that “the presumption of innocence is also available in administrative proceedings of the disciplinary jurisdiction.”
The employees of tax authorities access the Information System Integrated Tax Inspectorate (known as SIIIT) through your personal code, which allows AT able to do the tracking of queries (and possibly investigate whether there was reason to access the data).
The AT has a core internal audit structure in situations that raise questions, you can call an employee for this to be heard and to defend himself, leaving open the initiation of disciplinary procedure.
The “registration” tax of taxpayers – the name, address, the statement of income / asset information and fiscal relations between taxpayers (persons and entities subject) – is available to employees, but there are other sensitive information to which the employee can only access depending on the area intervention at AT
Tax secrecy “
It is not known if the workers agreed to restricted information (not having” credential “for this) or consulted. – without apparent justification – information they have access directly. The officers, employees and agents of the tax authorities are bound by confidentiality obligations. The General Tax Law requires them to “maintain the confidentiality of the collected data” regarding the tax situation of the taxpayers and to the personal elements.
PUBLIC referred questions to the Ministry of Finance, but got no response on whether the tax office is investigating the situations in question (in order Pedro Passos Coelho), and opened or will open disciplinary procedures to employees.
However, without confirm or deny the information to the Prime Minister the Director-General of the AT, António Afonso fights, was subsequently issue a statement ensuring that data “whenever access of evidence or abuse are detected,” “Unleash the resulting mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of taxpayers, including opening of investigations or other processes, aimed at examining possible liability. “
Explains the managing director of AT that employees can only access data” on the tax status of any taxpayer exclusively in proceedings in course to them specifically and exclusively assigned to these effects. ” Fights Afonso recalls that “since the 90s, the former DGCI, current AT, has established several mechanisms to ensure full respect and full of duty for tax secrecy by their employees.”
The person responsible for PATI, Nuno Barroso, looked forward to the opportunity for employees to defend themselves and reinforces that, “if confirmed illegitimate access, should be implemented sanctions for domestic regulation.” Nuno Barroso stresses also that the reported cases are an exception and says that “the competence and professionalism of AT employees can not be called into question by such acts.”
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