The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) published a video on its Telegram channel where anthropomorphic cats generated by artificial intelligence talk about how to avoid a tax evasion scheme.
The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) published a video on its Telegram channel where anthropomorphic cats generated by artificial intelligence talk about how to avoid a tax evasion scheme.
In the video, a cat in a cap with the inscription «BEB» explains that company managers persuade their employees to open sole proprietorships, with the help of which they «splitter» their business and pay less taxes. BEB emphasizes that in this way top managers avoid responsibility, and the owners of the sole proprietorships have to pay the fines.
This video was released after BEB reported on the exposure of a «business fragmentation» scheme in the Marketopt grocery store chain in Poltava region. This chain has over 400 retail outlets and is represented in seven regions of the country.
The investigation found that the company had recruited more than 3,500 individual entrepreneurs to artificially split the profits. The roles of «entrepreneurs» were played by store employees, as well as students and pensioners. Although formally they worked on a simplified taxation system, in fact they remained employees of the chain.
During the searches, law enforcement officers seized computer equipment, bank cards, and «draft» records confirming illegal activity. A pre-trial investigation is currently underway to determine the final amount of damages.
Recall that last year, the State Tax Service exposed a «business fragmentation» scheme in two well-known electronics chains, which led to VAT evasion of over UAH 286 million.
Currently, the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada is considering the possibility of strengthening the fight against business «fragmentation» schemes and believes that this could bring up to UAH 50 billion to the budget.
