Stiffer measures will be implemented to tackle tax evasion and other tax-related offenses this year in selected sectors such as real estate, construction, finance and insurance, Cui Junhui, vice-director of the State Administration of Taxation, said yesterday.

Inspections will also be conducted in the entertainment, telecommunications, coal production and transportation sectors, enterprises engaged in waste material recycling and those involving overseas investment, Cui said. 

Fabricating invoices and making falsifying accountant statements are the more common forms of tax evasion, he said.

Tax departments in China recovered 36 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) in evaded tax revenues through tax inspections in 2005, he said.

The figure also includes 24.5 billion yuan recovered as a result of corporate tax inspections in 485,500 cases.