The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has said that its tax audit procedures are based on compliance risks rather than the size or nature of businesses, following remarks by Maldives Monetary Authority Governor Ahmed Munawar.
In a statement, MIRA said it applies tax laws equally to all taxpayers and conducts audits under a risk-based compliance management framework.
The statement follows Munawar’s comments at the People’s Majlis Budget Committee, where he noted that only about 50 of 185 resorts pay income tax and called for greater scrutiny of the tourism sector to address the dollar shortage.
MIRA said its audit programmes cover businesses operating in the tourism sector as well as other industries. A substantial proportion of the tax revenue it collects comes from tourism-related businesses, the authority noted.
The authority emphasised that it works collaboratively with businesses to increase tax compliance while taking regulatory action against those who intentionally fail to pay taxes.
The exchange highlights ongoing public discussion about foreign exchange flows from the tourism industry and the effectiveness of tax collection mechanisms.
