If you've ever found yourself owing Quebec's tax man money, you likely know that you better pay up right away or be prepared to pay a whole lot more down the road.
Quebec's auditor-general says when the situation is reversed you can expect complete silence.
Guylaine Leclerc called the current system unfair in her annual report tabled Wednesday.
Leclerc said in 2015, 238,000 Quebecers did not file their taxes, and as it stands nobody at Revenu Quebec is actively pursuing the cases. In some, the amount owed to the government was deemed too low to bother a follow up; in others they involve students or other individuals eligible for hundreds of dollars in tax refunds.
The AQ report said the culture at the tax agency is based too much on potential profitability rather than equity.
Leclerc added taxpayers should be treated the same way no matter how much they are required to pay to could potentially be reimbursed.