The service will also cut expenses, with plans to sack several hundred employees. The staff cuts are related to the proposed merging of the Finance Police and the Customs Police, said Ilze Cīrule, head of the service.
Cīrule told the press that VID will rent surplus space at the service's headquarters and further cut the use of paper within the service, which uses 20 tons of paper annually.
2016 saw several blows to the reputation of Latvia's tax service--which was not well-regarded in the first place--with suspected widespread misconduct among the institution's employees and the previous tax chief stepping down, citing pressure and insurmountable obstacles against reform.
Nevertheless, the service managed to improve its tax collection record.
As LETA reported, Latvia’s budget revenues provided by the State Revenue Service in 2016 beat the target by 1.1% or €88.33m, totaling at €8.015 billion.
Compared to 2015, Latvia’s budget revenues grew by 7.3% or €544.1 million last year in what was the steepest increase in four years.
Read more about the service over at its English-language website HERE.
