“American Chamber of Commerce: UAH 5.5 billion – budget losses from the shadow market of smartphonesAccording to the American Chamber of Commerce, budget losses from the shadow market of smartphones amount to UAH 5.5 billion.
Experts call for increased control over the illegal sale of electronics.”, — write: unn.ua
Shvets estimated the losses of the state budget from the functioning of the shadow market of only individual smartphone models at UAH 5.5 billion.
According to estimates by some Chamber member companies, the share of the shadow market of individual smartphone models was 71%, which led to the loss of UAH 5.5 billion (more than USD 135 million) of unpaid VAT for Ukraine. At the same time, according to experts, VAT losses from other electronic devices of only one brand, in particular laptops and tablets, exceeded USD 240 million.
According to her, the expert, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine has been systematically working on the issue of combating the shadow economy for a long time. Such activities are aimed at reducing multi-billion losses to the State Budget of Ukraine, protecting conscientious business and stimulating the investment climate.
Illegal markets and tax evasion schemes not only deprive the budget of the necessary resources, but also create unequal conditions for honest business. Their elimination will significantly increase budget revenues without additional tax burden on legal business, as well as contribute to transparency and economic stability.
We are talking primarily about the shadow electronics market, where sales are often made in cash or cryptocurrency, without a fiscal check and appropriate taxation. According to the Chamber, goods are imported into Ukraine without paying VAT and duty. Most often, these are expensive, small-sized goods: smartphones, laptops, watches, headphones, as well as elite household appliances.
The scale of such schemes is of particular concern. According to Chamber experts, one of the major sellers has more than 100 stores throughout Ukraine operating through a network of hundreds of fictitious sole proprietors.
The business community calls for increased control over illegal sales of household appliances without fiscal receipts and other illegal means.
Let us remind youAccording to experts, the State Budget of Ukraine loses billions of hryvnias annually due to “grey” schemes of supply and sale of equipment. Earlier, the State Tax Service revealed schemes of VAT evasion for more than UAH 286 million in the activities of the Yabko and Yabluka retail chains. As it turned out, these networks used up to 300 interconnected sole proprietors on a simplified taxation system, which allowed minimizing the tax burden.
UNN also reported on a leak of internal descriptions of “grey” schemes for supplying Apple equipment in one of the small networks. Equipment is purchased through intermediaries in Southeast Asia – mostly new or refurbished devices. It is imported into Ukraine by minibuses with forged customs declarations, where cheap accessories are indicated instead of expensive gadgets. Experts suggest the existence of a “green corridor” at customs. In the future, the equipment is sold through a wide network of stores, formally registered to hundreds of sole proprietors, which allows minimizing taxes and avoiding responsibility.
Experts note that these shadow schemes should be dealt with by the relevant authorities – namely law enforcement agencies, in particular, the Bureau of Economic Security.