Saudi Arabia warns against Twitter accounts claiming tax manipulation

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has warned taxpayers against falling into the trap of some Twitter accounts that appear with claims to help them evade payment of tax.

This is through either making zero tax or reduce the amount of tax in an illegal way and in violation of the authority’s tax regulations.

It asked taxpayers not give any of their access data to such account holders. The authority said that it would continue to take legal action against such accounts.

According to the authority, these Twitter accounts claim the possibility of issuing tax certificates in an illegal way.

This they claim is by entering the data of the taxpayer to the authority’s electronic portal, which exposes the taxpayer to penalties and violations, most notably the penalty for tax evasion, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The authority stressed its keenness to enhance awareness about the rights of taxpayers in line with zakat and tax laws and regulations in the Kingdom and not to resort to illegal methods.

It also cautioned against giving any data of the taxpayer, including the secret code to have access to the authority’s electronic portal, to any of these accounts or deal with them in any way.