A new survey of the accounts of some 3,000 companies indicates that the state loses some 4.2 billion kroner each year because companies and their advisers misinterpret the rules, with a further 2.8 billion kroner being lost in evasion.

In 42 per cent of the companies, the Tax Authorities found one or more mistakes in tax calculations and one in ten companies are said to be involved in attempts to evade taxes.

“This is completely unacceptable,” says Tax Minister Thor Möger Pedersen (SocPpl).

“Irrespective of party affiliations, everyone must agree that we have to do something now. The Tax Authority has to go on the road, check companies and carry out more controls. And we should be targeting our efforts at those who we can see are particularly careless and prone to evasion,” he adds, naming hotels, restaurants and the transport sector.

“Companies must feel that the risk of being caught has got greater in 2012,” he says, adding that it may be necessary to see whether tax rules are too complex.

Accountants and industry seem to welcome the moves for increased checks.

“Many accountants feel that their customers press them to the edge. Customers feel that there is so little checking by the tax authorities that it is only accountants that keep an eye on them. And when they see that the neighbouring company isn’t being held in check, they don’t want to be either,” says John Bygholm, chairman of the Tax Committee of the Association of Danish Accountants and an accountant with Deloitte.

“The extra money for checks will be well spent. Increased risk of controls will make more people follow the rules,” he says.

Industry also seems ready to accept increased controls.

“It is a good idea to target those who will not pay,” says Tax Policy Executive Bo Sandberg of Dansk Erhverv, that represents some 17,000 companies.

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