Oja-Majo Doremi (Feb.7)
The Gainax animation production company, creator of the popular "Neon
Genesis Evangelion," and the firm's president have been accused of allegedly
concealing 1.5 billion yen in profits and evading 560 million yen in corporate
taxes, sources said Thursday.
Gainax has admitted evading taxes evasion and said it intended to submit a
revised tax return, the sources said.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau, which filed a complaint against
Gainax with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, inspected the
Musashino, Tokyo-based company on Thursday.
A Gainax public relations official refused to comment on the inspection.
Gainax produces television programs and films, as well as developing
software for personal computer games.
The television program "Evangelion" won great popularity when it was
broadcast for six months from autumn 1995.
The company's sales boomed following the 1997 release of a movie version
of "Evangelion", which was followed by the release of a compact disc and
other spin-off goods.
The sources said Gainax chalked up profits of more than 2 billion yen from
August 1995 to July 1997, but padded its production costs to declare an
income of only 500 million yen to 600 million yen.
The company concealed part of the untaxed money in a safety deposit box.
"Evangelion" is the story of a 14-year-old boy who fights mysterious
enemies in Tokyo in 2015 with a flying robot named Eva.
Its handling of such topics as religion, life, egotism and fights between
parents and children won the film widespread acclaim, as well as numerous
awards.
The program ended without revealing the robot's real identity--an ending
that generated controversy among fans. A book about the robot also sold
well. ::
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