The logo of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)
The head of Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) has threatened a reporter who asked him why a sub-branch of the Revolutionary Guard does not pay taxes.
In a press conference on Sunday, ILNA reporter asked Davoud Manzour how Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter has not paid taxes since 2017.
In response, the INTA chief threatened the reporter, saying he has to provide documents to back up his question, and if the documents are not presented, the prosecutor will indict him.
In the published video of the press conference, the reporter's voice can be heard telling Manzour that this was a statement made by Hossein Houshi al-Sadat, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya.
Many semi-public business and “charity” outfits in Iran run by regime insiders are exempt from paying taxes and some even receive assistance from the government.
IRGC’s Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters is the engineering arm of the IRGC and one of Iran's largest contractors in industrial and development projects. Khatam al-Anbiya was created during the 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War to help rebuild the country, but diversified over the years into companies dealing with mechanical engineering, energy, mining, and defense.
Involvement of the IRGC in business began in earnest two decades ago and has become a highly controversial issue in the country. Former president Hassan Rouhani in 2017 publicly criticized the practice and met a quick reaction by hardliners. He had to retract his statements at the time.