Austria’s Finance Minister Maria Fekter has recently underlined the key role of the country’s financial police in enforcing payment of due taxes and thereby ensuring tax justice in Austria. Alluding to the fact that the financial police now play a pivotal role in intensive efforts to combat the problem of social fraud and tax avoidance in Austria, Fekter stressed that combating fraud necessitates criminological analysis, which the ministry said is both “intensifying and optimizing”.
Highlighting specifically the resounding successes recorded by the financial police in clamping down on the non-payment of due taxes in the catering industry (including cases of undeclared work, the illegal employment of foreigners, as well as trade law violations), the Austrian finance ministry warned that anyone with outstanding tax debts will in future face a visit from a team from the financial police.
According to the finance ministry, during the course of the visit the financial police will conduct a full review of employees and databases, and demand any outstanding contributions. The team may also impound any valuables, the ministry added. The procedure involving the financial police is designed to ensure greater tax justice and to have a preventative effect to improve tax compliance, thereby protecting and securing tax revenues.
