TAX evasion is a less serious crime than the ''borrowing'' of office stationary or stealing a newspaper, according to a survey of Hong Kong attitudes.
The survey results, which stunned accountants and the academics who conducted it, show that evading taxes on personal income is considered more acceptable than borrowing money from a friend and not returning it, taking office stationary or a newspaper, as well as offences like submitting a false insurance claim or stealing a car.
''These are very surprising findings,'' said Roderic Sage, partner at accountants KPMG Peat Marwick. ''It would be astonishing if a professional person said that. It can only be people not in contact with the Inland Revenue.'' The survey of 654 people represented a broad cross-section of Hong Kong tax-payers, according to one of the academics from Hong Kong Lingnan College.
Richard Simmons, finance lecturer, said the survey was conducted between mid-November and mid-December. It was published in Taxation magazine, the journal of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong.
''We talked to people of all different income groups and doing all types of work,'' he said.
The average respondent said taking stationary from the office was less acceptable than failing to pay tax on a large part of income.
