Italy among worst countries for tax evasion says audit court Below Turkey and Mexico in OECD rankings

(ANSA) - Rome, July 12 - Italy has one of the worst records for tax evasion among OECD countries, says the head of the country's Audit Court. The current system is "greatly deficient," Luigi Giampaolino told a parliamentary commission hearing on Thursday.As a result, Italy ranked behind countries such as Turkey and Mexico in an analysis conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of countries that have adopted a value-added tax (VAT).Giampaolino also told the hearings that taxpayers couldn't use relevant computer applications to help them calculate the first installment of the Monti government's IMU property tax due in mid-June.In a report last month on off-shore tax evasion, the OECD called for countries to automatically share data on taxable income and assets.According to the OECD, proceeds from financial fraud, tax fraud, and money laundering equal about 3.6% of the world's gross domestic product.photo: tax policeman