Auditor General Urges Legal Powers to Recover State Revenue on Time

Auditor General Hussein Niyaaz has suggested giving legal powers to the entities responsible for collecting revenue due to the state, in order to recover that money within the timeframe it is due to the state. The Auditor General made this suggestion during the People's Majlis Budget Committee meeting held today to study the budget proposed by the government and submitted to the People's Majlis for the year 2027. In a report submitted to the committee today, incorporating the Auditor General's observations regarding the items in the budget proposed for next year, it was noted that the Auditor General is deeply concerned about the significant annual increase in the amount of money due to the state as revenue over the past years. It was pointed out that both the revenue due to the state as taxes and the revenue due through non-tax channels have increased extremely. "Furthermore, comparing 2021 and 2025, these amounts have increased substantially; among them, the uncollected tax revenue, which has been notable in recent years, continues to grow without being collected," Accordingly, it was also stated that upon reviewing the audits of the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) and information from government departments receiving state revenue, it has been observed that the number of entities failing to pay the money owed to the state is increasing. Therefore, suggestions have been made to enhance the legal powers granted to agencies collecting revenue for the state, in order to recover that money within the period it is due to the state.