The Tax Service monitors social networks of Ukrainians: why and for whom to prepare
15 April 2025 16:19
VIDEO
The State Tax Service of Ukraine (STSU) monitors social media to identify tax evaders for online sales. This was announced on April 15 by MP Olha Vasylevska-Smagliuk on Ranok Live.
According to the MP, data from cash registers, open sources, social networks, and marketplaces are used to detect tax evasion.
“If sales volumes through such platforms are significant and taxes are not paid, the State Tax Service may initiate an audit,” Vasilevska-Smagliuk said.
Moreover, the tax authorities will focus not on small sellers, but on those individuals or business entities that systematically sell new, homogeneous goods in large volumes and evade taxes.
Smagliuk explained that, according to the Tax Code, systematic sales means regular sales of similar goods, especially when it comes to new items that did not belong to the seller personally.
“We are talking about phones, headphones, gadgets and other new goods that are not used or personal items. The tax authorities will be interested only if there are hundreds of sales every month,” the speaker emphasized.
The tax authorities pay special attention to those Ukrainians whose sales income significantly exceeds the state’s expenses for their detection. That is, only those who actually evade taxes by hundreds of thousands or millions of hryvnias per month will be subject to audits.
At the same time, it is emphasized that second-hand items, small-scale personal sales and non-commercial activities do not fall under the interest of the tax authorities. The same applies to small incomes that do not cover the costs of administering their accounting.
Results and plans
In the future, fiscal authorities plan to focus systemic efforts on identifying large-scale tax evaders, while small-scale household sales will not be at risk.
Thus, citizens who occasionally sell used items should not worry. However, for those who constantly sell new goods in large volumes and do not pay taxes, the State Tax Service may initiate audits – especially if the income is in the six-figure range.
What statements about taxes and taxation has Olha Vasylevska-Smagliuk made before
In April 2025, the MP emphasized that the tax service may be interested in individuals who sell goods online more than three times a year. Such activity can be classified as systematic, which requires registration as an entrepreneur and payment of relevant taxes. However, the tax authorities focus on sellers who make more than one hundred transactions per month.
In addition, MP Olha Vasilevska-Smagliuk stated that starting in 2027, the State Tax Service of Ukraine (STSU) may gain direct access to bank accounts and safe deposit boxes of individuals. This decision is part of a broader process of harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with the EU norms envisaged by the Association Agreement and Ukraine’s commitments on the path of European integration.
Today, access to banking secrecy in Ukraine is possible only by court order and within the framework of specific criminal or administrative proceedings. However, starting in 2027, the situation may change dramatically: the tax authorities will be able to directly receive information from banks about the movement of funds in citizens’ accounts, the availability of deposits, the contents of safety deposit boxes, and other financial activity.
Such a mechanism is already in place in many EU countries, where tax authorities have automated data exchange with the banking system, which makes it possible to detect tax evasion, money laundering, and discrepancies between official income and expenses faster.
According to Vasilevska-Smagliuk, this step will be part of a systemic fight against the shadow economy and financial abuse. Ukraine loses billions of hryvnias annually due to income concealment, pseudo-entrepreneurship and the use of front companies.
“If we want to become a part of the EU, we must implement transparent and equal rules of the game. This is not repression, it is a level playing field,” the MP emphasized.
The risk zone primarily includes owners of large undeclared assets, people earning income abroad, freelancers using unaccounted accounts, and individual entrepreneurs hiding their real turnover.
In addition, the tax authorities’ access to safety deposit boxes and deposits may affect
- persons suspected of tax evasion;
- citizens whose lifestyle does not correspond to their official income;
- businessmen using “gray” schemes.
It is expected that access will be provided through an automated data exchange system between banks and the tax authorities, with the possibility of a spot audit. At the same time, Ukraine will be obliged to comply with the rules of confidentiality and data protection provided for by European law.
It is possible that a mechanism will be developed to notify citizens of tax requests, as well as the possibility of appealing these actions in court. However, this will require legislative changes and clear regulation of the procedure.
Experts point to the danger of abuse, data leakage and possible pressure on citizens. There is also a risk that such measures could be used for political or power purposes, especially in the context of insufficient independence of tax and judicial authorities.
In addition, there is the issue of the technical and institutional readiness of the tax service to work with large amounts of confidential financial information.
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