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Japan tax agency: Tax evasion at 4-decade low

Tax officials in Sapporo seized nearly 200 million yen in cash hidden in duffel bag
Tax officials in Sapporo seized nearly 200 million yen in cash hidden in duffel bag

TOKYO (TR) – Despite multiple discoveries of large bundles of banknotes hidden in residences across the nation, the National Tax Agency on Tuesday announced the total value of tax evasion over the past year was the lowest in more than four decades, reports TBS News (June 15).

Over a one-year period ending in March, tax officials prosecuted violators in 141 cases in which the total amount evaded was 13.8 billion yen, the lowest figure since 1974. The figure is also the third-lowest on record.

Companies involved in construction were involved in the largest number of cases (15), followed by firms in real estate (12) and clubs and bars (7). Cases in which one party was located overseas totaled 28, a figure that was a five-year high.

Regional offices also seized large sums of concealed cash in a number of cases. In Kumamoto, a search of a storage room revealed 260 million yen in cash inside six cardboard boxes. Tax officials found 170 million yen in three cardboard boxes in storage room in Tokyo. In Sapporo, a duffel bag in a closet was found to contain nearly 200 million yen.