The National Revenue Agency has successfully implemented the project “Supporting the fight against tax fraud and the shadow economy in the Republic of Bulgaria by improving the technical support of the NRA for conducting computer investigations”. It is co-financed by the EU, through a signed grant agreement under the Hercules III Program of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
The project was implemented in the period 01.02.2019-01.02.2021, within which equipment (hardware and software licenses) was purchased for the needs of IT-Forensic laboratories/workplaces in the NRA structures. Specialized training was also conducted for NRA employees to work with the acquired software.
The implementation of the project makes it possible to increase efficiency in the collection of qualitative evidence in electronic form, necessary for the detection and counteraction of hidden income and tax fraud schemes. Also, the functioning of IT-Forensic laboratories in the structures of the NRA will also lead to more effective cooperation between the NRA and other law enforcement bodies, through IT-Forensic investigations of national and cross-border tax fraud schemes by multidisciplinary teams. Last but not least, it provides the possibility to submit to EU Member States targeted information collected with the help of IT-Forensic tools, relating to losses for their national budgets.
The main result of the implementation of the project is the increase in the collection of tax obligations and the limitation of losses for the national budget, as well as for the budgets of other EU member states. This will contribute to the protection of the financial interests of Bulgaria and the EU.