State seizure of deposits without warning

The new law on rapid bank deposit seizure is here to shorten procedure, avoiding debtors resistance, which used to take years in courts with just a simple lawsuit. It is fair, but not exactly square, since it gives tax offices the right to proceed with bank deposit seizure even for poor, unemployed or even homeless debtors who literally can't afford to cover their debts.

The Finance ministry plans on increasing state revenue instantly. Tax agents in 65 offices with existing integrated judicial services will be sending electronic requests to banks, asking for information about debtors' bank balances.

Banks will be obligated to respond within a few days, at which point the Taxation Bureau will be issuing and sending the seizure request to the banks electronically. After that, the bank will be expected to transfer the seized amounts to the state's bank account.

The process not only eliminates the debtor from the equation, but is actually counting on the fact that there will be no notification to him, in order to eliminate the possibility that they withdraw the money from their account. According to ministry sources, the whole process from the initial tax office request to the transfer into state account, should not take more than 16 days.

Opposition parties and depositors unions consider the process cruel and unusual punishment for recession stricken debtors, but the ministry expects that most cases will concern bad debtors who can afford but don't pay.