Ho Chi Minh City tax officers on January 15 began an investigation into tax evasion at shops, electronic centers, and restaurants.

The inspection comes in the wake of continuous tax dodging by businesses selling products or services without issuing value added tax (VAT) invoices.

Nguyen Dinh Tan, head of the city’s Tax Department, said the division would transfer repeat offence cases to police for investigation and punishment.

Tax officers say penalties for tax evasion aren’t high enough to deter firms from violating regulations. Insufficient human resources, meanwhile, are blamed for the inability to monitor the overwhelming number of businesses in the city.