The tax authority may revoke 3,000 licenses: what is the reason?
24 April 15:13
Businesses in the retail sector that sell excise goods and fail to meet minimum wage requirements risk losing 3,000 licenses. This was announced by Lesya Karnaukh, acting head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
As Karnaukh explained, starting in October 2025, clear minimum wage requirements will be established for businesses that retail alcohol, tobacco products, and e-cigarette liquids.
- for licensees within and up to 50 km from regional centers: 2 times the minimum wage (in 2025 – 16,000 UAH, in 2026 – 17,294 UAH),
- for licensees outside these boundaries and with sales areas of less than 500 square meters: 1.5 times the minimum wage (in 2025 – 12,000 UAH, in 2026 – 12,970.5 UAH).
“If you don’t want to operate transparently, be prepared to lose your license. The State Tax Service constantly monitors whether businesses comply with these requirements. In February–March 2026, risks were confirmed for nearly 6,600 business entities at once. For three months in a row, they ignored the established requirements. And this is a direct ground for revoking the license,” Karnaukh said.
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What the tax authority has already done
- conducted 1,500 on-site inspections
- inspected 23% of licensees with confirmed risks
- suspended or in the process of suspending over 2,900 licenses
According to the head of the agency, in addition to problems with salary payments, the tax authority is also identifying other typical violations: the sale of excise goods without excise stamps or with counterfeit stamps, violations of established prices, failure to issue fiscal receipts, as well as operating without a cash register or a fiscal register. Violators have been fined nearly 17 million UAH.
“By the way, those entrepreneurs who were not ready for the new rules have already left the market. The number of licensees has decreased by 3,000—from 56,100 to 52,900. The number of licenses has also decreased by 8,000—from 167,200 to 158,600,” Karnauh reported.
At the same time, the State Tax Service reports that it maintains constant communication with the business community, and this is yielding positive results. Entrepreneurs are increasingly complying with the requirements, as it is more profitable to operate transparently and honestly and pay real wages than to risk losing their license.
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