Bajan lawyers, doctors deny tax evasion

(Barbados Nation) Doctors and Lawyers yesterday shot back angrily at charges of tax dodging.

Both the president of the Barbados Bar Association, Andrew Pilgrim, and the president of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr Carlos Chase, described the charges as “ridiculous”.

“Stupidness,” added Pilgrim.

They were irked by the charges from recently retired Acting Commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) Frank Forde that highly regarded professionals, including doctors and lawyers, grossly under-reported their income and failed to file tax returns.

In a front page story in the DAILY NATION yesterday, Forde also said he was not happy with the level of enforcement by the IRD when it came to that category of workers.