Taxpayers’ Rights in Panama
- The right to be treated with due respect and consideration by all officials of the Tax Administration.
- The right to be considered and treated as a taxpayer in compliance with their obligations until conclusive proof to the contrary is provided.
- The right to have the actions of the Tax Administration carried out in a manner that is less burdensome and distorting to the taxpayer’s normal business, without affecting the priority power of the Directorate General of Revenue to carry out the audit and ensure the collection of resulting taxes, if applicable.
- The right to be assisted by their trusted advisors from the beginning of the review or audit procedure initiated by the Tax Administration and to observe throughout its extension, including the practice of the respective tests.
- The right to know that they are being reviewed or audited by the Tax Administration and to know the identity of the officials in charge of the review or audit process, as well as the identity of their immediate superiors.
- The right to have access to the reports and actions carried out in the file of the review or audit to which the taxpayer is subject.
- The right for the information provided to the Tax Administration to be kept confidential throughout the administrative and judicial procedure, except for the exceptions expressly established by law.
- The right not to be reviewed or audited two (2) times for the same tax in the same period. Exceptions are made for taxes where the taxpayer acts as a withholding agent.
- The right not to have equipment or parts of computer equipment seized during the review or audit process when it is easy to provide the Directorate General of Revenues with the necessary information. The tax administration may only copy tax-relevant electronic documentation.
It must be guaranteed that the copied electronic information will not undergo subsequent alterations or modifications under penalty of nullity of the proceedings.