image licensed under Creative Commons, photo courtesy user euthman

The Rhode Island Department of Revenue is using advanced technology to track down companies and workers who are not paying state taxes.

Tax Administrator David Sullivan tells “The Providence Journal” his agency has obtained data from the state Department of Labor and Training and is in the process of loading it into its data warehouse for analysis.

He says the new information will help the agency identify more tax scofflaws.

The process is part of a comprehensive compliance program launched by Gov. Don Carcieri in July 2008.

As part of that program, the agency has collected about $3.7 million in back taxes through the data warehouse initiative as of Sept. 30.

The program could result in the collection of $23 million in unpaid taxes, fines and interest. [AP]