📈 E-Visa Audit Reveals $1.4 Mn Unpaid Taxes & Major Irregularities

• A special audit by the Auditor General’s Department on the e-Visa system (Apr.-Aug. '24) found that operating companies failed to remit over US$ 1.41 Million in taxes. • Unpaid Tax Liability: The total of $ 1,418,360 includes $ 1,245,390 in VAT and $ 172,970 in SSCL. • Revenue Routing: All visa-related revenue was routed to foreign bank accounts controlled by private operators, instead of official Government channels. Consequently, the AG Department could not verify the total revenue collected. • Service Fees & Earnings: • Operators (GBS Technology Services/IVS Global-FZCO) processed 373,991 applications, generating a minimum of $ 6.9 Mn in service-fee revenue, plus an additional $ 1.8 Mn from fee-waiver countries. • A uniform service fee of $ 18.50 was charged to all applicants, including those entitled to free visas. The audit questioned this increase, particularly for categories designed to attract tourist and business arrivals. • Irregularities: The firms were selected without a formal tender, violating Government procurement rules, and failed to remit the collected taxes and levies.