Tax Authorities Investigate Suspected Fraud Among Moroccan Professionals

Inspectors from the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) have noted significant discrepancies between the declared income and the actual standard of living of certain people practicing a liberal profession, including doctors, engineering firms and lawyers. In their investigations, the tax inspectors found that the persons concerned have registered movable and immovable property in their name and others in the name of their relatives or children, reports Assabah.

The tax inspectors discovered that one of the children of the persons concerned has a bank account opened in his name with a balance of more than 20 million dirhams, and that this account is regularly fed by his father via his professional account. To justify these transfers, the father declared that his son, still a student, would be his employee. Another person owns a luxurious villa worth more than 15 million dirhams, while he earns a monthly income of no more than 10,000 dirhams, according to his tax returns.

The inspectors also closely examined the bank accounts of several people practicing a liberal profession, which revealed that some of them spent 800,000 dirhams on vacations abroad, a luxury they normally cannot afford given their declared income. Noting these significant discrepancies between the declared income and the lavish lifestyle of the persons concerned, the tax administration has summoned the latter to justify their actual sources of income.

Thanks to the collaboration established with partner institutions such as the National Land Registry Agency, the Foreign Exchange Office or banking institutions, the DGI can obtain accurate data on the turnover of taxpayers and verify the reliability of the declared income. According to sources, 60% of workers in liberal professions declare annual income of 10,000 dirhams or less, while employees, whose income tax (IR) is withheld at source by their employers, can pay up to 82,000 dirhams. The DGI is intensifying its efforts to combat these tax evasions.