Bureau of Economic Security and State Tax Service cannot cope with illegal gas stations – Hetmancev

There are at least 428 illegal gas stations operating in Ukraine, of which over 56% are located in five regions: Lviv, Odesa, Kyiv, and the city of Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. This indicates the ineffectiveness of measures and the inadequate organization of work by the National Police, ESBU, and DPS in combating illegal gas stations. This is stated in the Decision of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, reports thepublic.info with reference to Danylo Hetmantsev's statement. 

The Chairman of the Committee published the committee's decision following the hearing of the leadership of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the National Police, and the DPS regarding the results of work to combat the shadow retail fuel market. 

Specifically, the document recognizes the improper organization of work by ESBU, which and measures to combat illegal gas stations are ineffective.

“The current situation with illegal gas stations is critical: out of the illegal gas stations checked by my assistants, only a few are closed, some continue to operate even after inspections. In several regions, law enforcement agencies have practically shown no results”, — noted Hetmantsev.

Specifically, the published document states that the results of inspections of gas stations are completely absent in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv regions.

“The retail fuel market requires active actions by the DPS, ESBU, and the National Police to de-shadow this market, which will ensure equal conditions for all market participants, provide additional revenues to the state and local budgets, and give consumers guarantees and the opportunity to protect their rights”, — states the Committee's decision.

Considering the situation, parliamentarians recommended that authorized bodies conduct a full audit and identify all illegal gas stations for their legalization or closure. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine must report on the results of work to the Verkhovna Rada committee by January of next year.

Recall that in the last three months, the amount of reimbursed damages in the cases of the Bureau of Economic Security has halved, while data on seized goods and equipment in the excise sector are refused to be disclosed by the ESBU.

Earlier, the IMF mission demanded the closure of tax evasion schemes as a condition for providing funding to Ukraine. Investigations under Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine –tax evasion – are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Economic Security, which on August 6 received a new director — Oleksandr Tsivinsky, elected by the commission with the participation of international experts.