Updated at 14:47 — added new developments referring to the cancellation of the operation and the fact that it has not been defined centrally by the Ministry of Finance.
In an action aimed at collecting tax debts, the Tax Authority (AT) and the GNR have been this morning intercepting drivers in the Alfena area, Valongo, in an operation called “Action on Wheels”.
According to a source from the local AT cited by Público, the objective of the operation is to “intercept drivers with debts to the Finances, invite them to pay and give them this opportunity to pay”.
The operation began at 8 am and should last until 1 pm, with a device comprising around 20 elements from the Tax Authority and around 10 elements from the GNR, with the final balance only expected to be known later.
How it works?
The operation of the operation is very simple: the elements of the GNR stop the drivers, consult the AT agents and, if there are debts to the finances, request payment.Subscribe to our newsletter
According to the TA source present at the site, the control of debtors is done through a computer system (mounted on tables in tents placed at the roundabout of the A42, exiting Alfena) which crosses data through registration numbers and compares them with the existence of debts to finances.
As for the possibility that some of the intercepted drivers with debts to the tax authorities are unable to settle them, the AT source stated: "If they are unable to pay at the moment, we are in a position to pledge the vehicles".
The operation has been…cancelled
However, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs ordered the cancellation of the debt collection that was taking place on the roads of Valongo. The Ministry of Finance office also assured in statements to the Observer that the measure "has not been defined centrally" and that it was already "verifying the framework in which the respective Directorate of Finance defined this action".
The Finances also added that "the guidelines in the Tax Authority are for proportional action", recalling that actions like today's are not necessary as they exist and recall that "there are currently mechanisms for electronic pledge".
Sources: Public and Observer