The Auditor General's Office has said that government ministries are not doing enough to recover money owed to the state.
The Audit Office recently released its 2023 report for the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), sharing its views on the issue of outstanding payments.
The outstanding amount stood at MVR 13.2 billion till last year. This includes tax and non-tax revenue.
Non-tax revenue agreements are signed with relevant ministries and agencies. MIRA's job is to maintain the accounts and receive the money. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism to take necessary measures for non-payment of rent.
Auditors said the outstanding non-tax revenue by 2023 reached MVR 6.6 billion. These include rent for islands leased for resorts, agriculture, commercial land and various fees and penalties.
The audit report said that the relevant ministry has not taken the necessary steps to recover the money.
“However, these include long-standing defaults due to the lack of regular action against non-payers,” the report said.
The biggest outstanding amounts are due as resort rent. That is 45 percent (MVR 5.9 billion) of the total.
The Audit Office said the the current tax laws are not appropriate to recover money through MIRA.
It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism to take necessary action to recover this money. However, the audit office believes the ministry does not take necessary measures.
