Tax Offices Now Has Information On Icelanders Using Tax Shelters

The Directorate of Internal Revenue (RSK) now has in its hands documents that could prove hundreds of Icelanders are using tax shelters.

Kjarninn reports that documents detail the records of between 300 to 500 companies owned by or connected to Icelanders, all of them using tax shelters. While the supplier of the documents, who still remains anonymous, initially asked for 150 million ISK, the documents in question were bought for 30 million ISK.

Bryndís Kristjánsdóttir, RSK’s Director of Investigations, told reporters that the next step will be to comb over the documents, both to verify their authenticity and the information therein. She would not comment further, saying investigations are still pending.

As reported, last September the tax shelter documents source contacted RSK with samples of the information, saying they were willing to sell it. Even the chairperson of the Tax and Economics Committee in parliament agreed with buying the information, and last April, the purchase went ahead.

If the information contained in the documentation holds true, there could be many tax evasion charges facing quite a number of Icelanders. None so far have spoken up in defense of tax shelters.