Source: Tribuna da Bahia - Salvador / BA - 20/10/2010

On Wednesday (20), National Day to Combat Tax Evasion, a task force carried out an operation against this type of crime in the capital of Bahia. Coordinated by the National Group to Combat Criminal Organizations (GNCOC), the operation was carried out in 12 states plus the Federal District by the Public Ministry (MP) and the state finance departments.

In Bahia, the objective is to establish an intensive performance aiming at the efficiency of the inspection and increase of the collection, through the prevention of tax frauds. Within this context, the State has been developing joint actions with the Public Ministry; State Secretariat for Public Security (SSP); Delegation of Economic Crimes and Against Public Administration; National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) and Bahia Institute of Metrology and Quality (Ibametro).

Inspection was carried out simultaneously at three gas stations, two from the same network in the Graça neighborhood and one in Cidade Jardim. The establishments were investigated for allegedly selling adulterated gasoline and for not issuing a tax coupon. For the action, two groups were created, each with representatives of all the bodies involved. In total, 27 servers (seven from the State Finance Secretariat, eight from the SSP, four from the MP, four from the ANP and four from the Ibametro) checked the fuel nozzles in the tank, the amount of fuel, the price-quantity ratio (if the that is registered in the pump is what comes out of the nozzle), the seals of the devices of the pumps, and collected material to identify if there is conformity of the fuel - the latter is analyzed in laboratory by the ANP, later.

It is the second consecutive year that this type of action is taken. In 2009, the operation recovered R $ 4 billion in funds for the country that should have been collected from public coffers, but that were unduly diverted. In the fuel sector, R $ 1 billion was recovered.

Starting in November, the Treasury Department will intensify inspections at gas stations in the capital and inland over the three-month period.