Almost nine out of ten believe that there is a lot of tax fraud and 80% reject paying an invoice without VAT
37.7% of Spaniards consider that in Spain they pay a lot in taxes, compared to 48.2% who consider that they are regular and 11.2% that they pay little, while 77.4% do not believe that taxes are collected fairly and more than 88.6% think that there is a lot or a lot of tax fraud, according to the study ‘Public opinion and tax policy (XL)’ carried out by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS).
The study, published this Thursday and collected by Europa Press, has been carried out on the basis of 3,011 interviews between July 26 and 31 with people over 18 years of age from 1,051 municipalities and 50 provinces, and shows that 30.8% of Spaniards think that more taxes are paid in Spain compared to other more advanced countries in Europe, compared to 18.3% who believe that the same is paid and 41.3% who say that there is less tax burden.
In their answers, 77.4% of those surveyed pointed out that taxes are not collected fairly and that those who have more do not pay, compared to 19.7% who affirm that there is justice in the payment of taxes. In addition, taking into account existing public services and social benefits, 48.3% maintain that society benefits little or nothing from what is paid in taxes and contributions.
Furthermore, 59.1% ensure that they receive less from the Administration than they pay in taxes and contributions, 29.9% emphasize that they receive more or less what they pay, and only 9.1% believe that they receive more of the Administration of what you pay.
For 59.1% of those surveyed, taxes are necessary for the State to provide public services, compared to 20.3% who say that taxes are something that the State forces them to pay without knowing very well in exchange for what. On their side, 19% consider that taxes are a means to better redistribute wealth in society.
In their answers, the majority of the people surveyed believe that the tax system should be based on direct taxes, according to the income or wealth of individuals and companies (70.9%) compared to indirect taxes that affect equally (23.5%) .
Despite everything, 72.2% answered that the Administration makes little or very little effort to explain the destination of taxes, compared to 18% who supported the work carried out by public powers in this regard.
Regarding tax fraud, 88.6% highlight that there is a lot or a lot of it in Spain, compared to only 7.9% of respondents who point out that there is little and a meager 1.1% who affirm that there is very little.
In this sense, 55.6% of those surveyed consider that the Administration makes little or very little effort to fight against tax fraud, compared to 40.3% who believe that many or enough efforts are made.
Asked why people hide part or all of their income from the Treasury, 21.7% say it is because those who have the most avoid (or minimize) paying taxes, while 17.7% do. They attribute it to a lack of honesty and citizen awareness and 16.1% explain that it is because salaries are too low and they have to look for other options to get money.
Despite this widespread perception of fraud, those surveyed highlight that the majority (44.3%) of people they know actually declare all or almost all of their income when making their income tax return (IRPF), 34.6% who quite a lot, 15.4% saying little and 2% saying none. In addition, 31.3% stress that people they know and are obliged to declare VAT, such as professionals and the self-employed, declare all or a large part of their income.
When asked if they consider that Spaniards are aware and responsible when it comes to paying taxes, 10% say that they are “not at all aware or responsible”, while 52.4% think that they are “little aware but responsible”. . Only 4% define themselves as “very aware and responsible”, while 30.8% say they are “quite aware and responsible”.
Regarding tolerance for different types of fraud, 97% consider themselves little or not at all tolerant of a large company evading or avoiding paying Corporate Tax and 97.7% regarding receiving a social benefit that they do not have. right.
ALMOST 80% ARE REFUSED TO PAY AN INVOICE WITHOUT VAT
Setting up a company that operates only on the Internet to pay less taxes (64.7%), paying for domestic repair without an invoice to avoid paying VAT (79.9%), being self-employed and not getting paid receives less rejection, although the majority also receives VAT (88%), and being self-employed and deducting personal expenses as business expenses that do not correspond (88.6%). A significant fact is that 17.8% of citizens do not know that the general VAT rate in Spain is 21%.
On the other hand, those surveyed indicated as the main effects of tax fraud the decrease in resources to finance public services and benefits (32.6%) and the generation of injustices, since some have to pay what others stop paying (31.7 %), followed by the demotivation of those who are compliant (16.9%) and the increase in the tax burden of those who pay correctly (14.1%). Only 1.6% answered that tax fraud does not have really important effects.
Likewise, 86.1% affirm that they agree that “cheating the Treasury is deceiving the rest of the citizens”, 68.4% agree that if people do not cheat more “it is for fear of a review” and 93 .5% censure the statement that “it is not bad to hide part of the income because that does not harm anyone”.
INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES IN HEALTH, RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENT
Regarding the financing of public services, the people surveyed point to research in science and technology (84.3%), housing (75.6%), health (73.3%), rural areas (72.3% ), environmental protection (69.3%), help for dependent people (68.3%), Justice (59%), Education (57.9%), Social Services (52.7%), Culture (51. 6%) and Social Security and pensions (48.1%) as items to which very few resources are allocated.
Among the services to which too many resources are devoted, Defense exceeded 30% of people, while 12.1% criticize that too many resources are devoted to public works and 9.7% to unemployment protection.
