CARACAS, Venezuela, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Venezuelan tax official on Thursday ordered the closure of Microsoft and IBM offices in the country for failure to pay taxes, Globovision reported.
The two tech giants will be forced to shutter their doors for 24-48 hours.
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The decision comes amid a widespread campaign by the administration of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to crack down on multinationals who have failed to pay the proper amount of taxes over the years.
Critics of the left-wing Chavez say he is abusing his authority in an effort to extort millions of dollars from companies. His backers say it is part of the country's new "zero tolerance" program aimed at making international businesses accountable for the funds they owe the government.
