Taxing situation for Limasa

THE Hacienda (tax agency) has opened a case into an alleged infringement by cleaning company Limasa.

Local reports suggest that the firm is being investigated over the possible defrauding of more than €3 million over the last five years, after it apparently failed to declare the controversial ‘canon of technical assistance.’

The agency are now seeking to reclaim €4.5 million in addition to sanctions which will be applied to the potentially undeclared revenues, some 50 per cent of the amount defrauded.

The canon of technical assistance refers to payments made to three private companies which receive around 2.5 per cent of Limasa’s turnover in return for supposed specialist advice.

Such private ‘partners’ have received a total approaching €27 million since Limasa was awarded the municipal cleaning and waste disposal contracts for Malaga in 2001.

The company and its partners considered these to be deductible expenses, but the Treasury is claiming that this was never the case, and has been conducting an official investigation in recent weeks.