Financially Un-reliable

Not paying your traffic fines is illegal. Not paying your traffic fines when you’re a civil servant is just embarrassing.

Last week an investigation at a Bulgaria tax office found that more than 400 tax inspectors had failed to pay their traffic fines. This was part of a nationwide crackdown on government employees who don’t pay what they owe. The National Revenue Agency said they’ve seen an increase in fraud since the recession began and are only trying to recover lost revenue.

Across the country more than 50,000 civil servants are being checked for unpaid taxes and fines. And they’re not the only ones. The inspection led by Prime Minister Boiko Borisov is also looking at musicians, people who own luxury cars and football clubs as tax evasion suspects. Officials say the inspections are to demonstrate the government’s commitment to fighting fraud and crime to the rest of the world. Especially because millions of dollars in financial aid was recently frozen due to allegations of high powered tax evasion. This reminds me of that famous quote from the late U.S. Senator Everett Dirkson. Don’t tax me, don’t tax thee, tax the guy behind the tree.