TOKYO (TR) – The National Tax Agency on Tuesday announced a nationwide crackdown on a group of companies that operate dating sites for concealing income of than one billion yen, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Jan. 21).
The agency made inquiries with the approximately 140 companies operating deai-kei (“encounter”) matchmaking sites in multiple cities, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, Nagoya and Hiroshima. Of those companies, 40 were found to have not reported 1.1 billion yen over a six-year period ending in 2012.
The agency will apply tax penalties of 300 million yen to the companies, which are alleged to have fabricated costs and revenue figures in tax filings.
When reached for comment by the Sankei, the president of the group of companies, who operates a paint materials company located in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, refused to comment.