Internal Revenue technicians alarmed by Montoro’s political use of tax data

Barcelona"Minister Montoro is using, and bringing to the political arena, tax data that he shouldn’t even know". This according to a statement by José María Mollinedo, Secretary General of the Union of Technicians of the Internal Revenue Service, Gestha, to ARA on Wednesday. He was referring to the constant leaking of tax data on contributors who have only one element in common --besides eventual fiscal crime charges--, which Mollinedo defined as "All were critical of the government". He spoke of cases such as that of Juan Carlos Monedero, number three in Podemos, but also of the leaks following the case of the Pujol family and that have been aired by Montoro himself in appearances before Congress.

But to say that the Minister shouldn’t know this information? According to Mollinedo, he shouldn’t, because the Revenue Service is a body that is autonomous from the Ministry. In addition, because the dissemination of data and tax information --to say nothing of the political use, even threats, that have been made-- is expressly prohibited by Spanish law. All of this together has generated unrest among the technicians and inspectors of the Revenue Service, as reported by El País and confirmed by ARA. "The maximum authority of the Treasury Ministry must be exemplary" and must also show maximum discretion with tax information, opined Mollinedo, who added that the senior management of the Spanish Revenue Agency should have to answer as to who is supplying this information to the minister.

When tax data becomes yours to do as you wish

In his conversation with ARA, the Secretary General of Gestha alerted that "making tax information into heritage" is contributing to the loss of the battle against tax evasion. What did he mean? To the fact that the State and regional tax authorities aren’t sharing information. "The exchange of information should be automatic, if we want to eradicate tax evasion", concluded José María Mollinedo.