Fuel company GALP is in new financial hotwater following left-wing scrutiny of a “flexi-benefit” scheme which purportedly “smacks of tax evasion”.
The company which already ‘owes the government over two hundred million’ (being contested through the courts: click here) apparently offers its employees a plan that gives them bonuses if they render up “receipts” accrued for services, gymnasium use or IT material.
Bloco de Esquerda’s Jorge Costa wants the government to decide whether or not the “Plano de Benefícios Felxíveis” is legal.
Says negociosonline, it is presented to staff as “a way of obtaining benefits in the area of mobility, health, retirement, education and technology.
All staff have to do to be included is enter the company’s NIF (fiscal identification number) instead of their own when buying goods and services.
Those receipts are then given to GALP which, by dint of this ‘extra expenditure’, has a lesser tax burden at the end of each financial year, say reports – stressing the plan sees “the State prejudiced and GALP’s Social Security contribution also reduced”.
Costa and fellow MPs Mariana Mortágua, Heitor de Sousa, José Soeiro and Isabel Pires believe the scheme is a “scam” – a way of GALP avoiding yet more tax liabilities.
In a written question to the government, the MPs say GALP’s workers commission claim the plan was created for “owners to evade taxes at the same time as conditioning more and more where employees can spend their paltry salaries”.
Thus the party allied to powermakers considers it “urgent” that the government intercedes to “impede this plan from continuing on the basis that it is producing irreparable damages to the rights of workers and elevated damages for the State…”
BE’s questions are: “Does the government know of this situation? Has it inspected this particular flexi-benefit plan, and if so, what were the results of this inspection?.
GALP has been contesting “extraordinary energy contributions”, payable since 2014, which now exceed well over €240 million.
Pressed for a response, the fuel company either “did not responded in time” (tabloid Correio da Manhã), or “left its response for later” (Negocios online/ Lusa/ TSF Radio).
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
