Watchdog Calls for Transparency in TV Tax Amnesty

Tbilisi-based legal advocacy group, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), called on the Parliament to secure more transparency of a proposal envisaging writing off debt owed by number of television stations in unpaid taxes and fines.

The government submitted to the parliament a draft proposal, which if approved, will write off the debt with total amount of about GEL 36 million (about USD 20.6 million). The draft proposal, however, does not give a detailed breakdown of amount of unpaid taxes per individual television station.

The government is citing article 122 of the tax code, which qualifies such information as a commercial secret of a company.  The draft proposal neither gives a number of those broadcasters, which owe the state budget.

GYLA, which made a review of the draft proposal, recommended the Parliament to amend the draft and provide taxpayers with detailed information on amount of debt each broadcaster owes to the state budget. GYLA said that the total sum is quite significant and the society has the right to know the details. The group says that there were cases in the past when such information was made public, when a debt was written off from certain enterprises.

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