Tax fraud in Austria: 107 million euros uncovered!

Tax fraud in Austria: 107 million euros uncovered!

Österreich - In 2024, over 107 million euros in tax fraud were discovered in Austria. This alarming sum was determined by the Office for Fraud Control (Fig. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer emphasized that tax fraud not only harms the state, but also burdened honest taxpayers. In response to these developments, the Federal Government plans to continue to strengthen its efforts against tax fraud and tax avoidance. In 2024 taxes and social fraud as well as tax evasion in the construction and services.

The legal definition of tax evasion describes a deliberate violation of tax law obligations that result in a reduction in taxes. The common forms include grossly negligent tax reduction and customs offenses. It turns out that companies often find creative ways to escape their tax responsibility. For example, illegal cash register systems were discovered that made it possible to delete sales.

illegal activities uncovered

Within the fraud of these fraud cases, several illegal gambling activities were also uncovered. A repeat offender was sentenced to a fine of 960,000 euros and a twelve -month prison sentence for his machinations. Two major fraud cases in the security area were also of interest; This was about illegally employed security and drug trafficking.

A concrete example from the construction industry shows how far some companies go to avoid taxes. A construction company manipulated over 1.1 million data records to hide without controlled sales. This led to a determined financial damage of 325,000 euros. The company's managing director could now expect a fine of up to 650,000 euros.

foundations for tax avoidance

A particularly scandalous case included two Austrians who offered “training courses” to avoid tax. This led to the foundation and sale of 26 clubs. Such activities are not only suspected of being inadmissible under tax law, but could also violate guidelines on tax evasion.

Tax evasion is available if taxpayers wrongly benefit from a tax assessment due to incorrect or incomplete information in the tax return. In the case of a "tax -responsible" act, it is crucial that the culpable violation of tax liability can be demonstrated, which significantly influences the criminal implications, including the possibility of strangling self -disclosure.

Tax fraud, on the other hand, is considered a more serious crime. It arises when an attempt is made to deceive the tax authorities with fake or untrue documents. This type of crime can have up to three years of imprisonment or a high fine. It is clear that the state wants to show stringness to counteract these trends.