BUENOS AIRES, June 29: Argentine tax officials hit a tax cheat where it hurts most on Wednesday, confiscating the man's plasma TV two days before Argentina plays Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals.

It was the latest move in a ‘shock’ campaign by Santiago Montoya, the top tax man in Buenos Aires province, the country's biggest, to curb rampant tax evasion in Argentina.

Tax officials carted off the new big-screen television from a man who owes some 6,100 pesos ($2,000) in back taxes.

“We've taken the plasma as a guarantee against the debt he owes,” said Juan Manuel Prada, a provincial tax official.

Officials say tax evasion in Buenos Aires province costs the government some $1 billion in lost revenue each year.

Montoya's highly publicised attempts to crack down on tax delinquents have included mailing letters to the spouses of evaders and leaving messages on people's cell phones.

His latest campaign is sure to catch the eye of soccer-obsessed Argentines. Tournament favourites, Argentina, face Germany on Friday.—Reuters