Bavarian firms: tax check once in 250 years
Small businesses in Bavaria have little to fear when it comes to having the tax collectors paying them a visit – they are likely to be checked only once in 250 years.
Bavaria's independent tax agency almost always ranks last in Germany for the number of jobs filled, and the lack of personnel means that much of the investigating in the southern state goes undone, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Monday.
"When someone is sick, there is no one there to replace them," an anonymous employee at the Bavarian tax office told the newspaper. The work they miss simply goes unchecked. "That is unfair, but is politically supported," the employee said.
It seems to be the stress of the job that may keep many potential new employees at bay. The Bavarian finance union cited over-work and exhaustion for some of the reasons behind the many open positions for tax investigators, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The Bavarian budget for 2011 accounted for 16,457 tax investigators, but only 14,554 of those jobs were filled. In all, the state agency lacks some 20,000 personnel, reported the newspaper.
Statistically, that means a small business in the state has the chance of being audited once every 250 years, even though only about half of the 1.1 million small businesses in Bavaria are considered relevant for audit, according to the paper.
The Local/mbw
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Bavaria's independent tax agency almost always ranks last in Germany for the number of jobs filled, and the lack of personnel means that much of the investigating in the southern state goes undone, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Monday.
"When someone is sick, there is no one there to replace them," an anonymous employee at the Bavarian tax office told the newspaper. The work they miss simply goes unchecked. "That is unfair, but is politically supported," the employee said.
It seems to be the stress of the job that may keep many potential new employees at bay. The Bavarian finance union cited over-work and exhaustion for some of the reasons behind the many open positions for tax investigators, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The Bavarian budget for 2011 accounted for 16,457 tax investigators, but only 14,554 of those jobs were filled. In all, the state agency lacks some 20,000 personnel, reported the newspaper.
Statistically, that means a small business in the state has the chance of being audited once every 250 years, even though only about half of the 1.1 million small businesses in Bavaria are considered relevant for audit, according to the paper.
The Local/mbw
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