About 90,000 businesses in Papua New Guinea do not pay tax, resulting in loss of millions of kina in government revenue.
Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
The National reported the acting Internal Revenue Commissioner-General, Dr Alois Daton, as saying their records showed 120,000 registered entities, but most of them don't pay tax.
The commission has been working with the commercial banks to get the details of the businesses' accounts.
Mr Daton said the banks would not be able to open accounts for businesses unless they produce their Taxpayer Identification Number, or TIN, certificates.
He said companies issued with a TIN have a corresponding Investment Promotion Authority certificate number as proof of identity, but about 90,000 taxpayers are not lodging.
Mr Daton said they "are not registered with IRC and they don't pay tax although they make a lot of money and they deposit all their money into the banks".
