Officers of the Judicial Police have raided restaurants in Faro, Lisbon and Oporto whose owners were suspected of using computer software that allows them to fiddle the VAT.
Some 18 restaurants were targeted for their involvement in the fraud after an investigation by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) raised suspicion that computers had been fitted with a programme that allows owners to enter amounts and print receipts which were not automatically transmitted to the tax authority via the offical terminals linked to the tills.
VAT was charged to customers and then pocketed by the traders, according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office.
The restaurateurs are accused of tax fraud, and falsifying information in an operation involving 50 Judicial Police officers.
