The tax authorities have taken an interest in sellers on TikTok, Viber, and Instagram
18 August 13:00
The State Tax Service of Ukraine, in collaboration with the National Police, is launching a large-scale campaign to identify unregistered business activities on the Internet. This was reported by Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk, a member of parliament and deputy chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“To this end, they will analyze information from open sources on the internet, including TikTok, Instagram, Telegram, Viber, and WhatsApp. There, the State Tax Service will look for anomalies in the operations of registered businesses that are required to use cash registers or electronic cash registers, identify high-risk taxpayers, and audit them,” writes Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk.
As the MP noted, the new initiative is being implemented in accordance with a decision by the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy regarding the de-shadowing of the economy. In August 2026, the State Tax Service had already reported to the Committee on the implementation of the relevant directives.
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How Unregistered Sellers Will Be Identified
The audit will cover two main categories of entities: legal businesses that conceal their actual revenue and fully “shadow” merchants. The State Tax Service, in collaboration with the National Police, will analyze open sources to identify anomalies in business operations
“Registered businesses should be aware that activity on social media pages will be compared with data on receipts issued via cash registers (RRO) or electronic cash registers (PRRO). If the number of orders in the public domain significantly exceeds official reports, the taxpayer will be classified as high-risk, leading to a documentary or on-site audit,” noted Vasylevska-Smaglyuk.
According to the MP, for unregistered sellers, phrases such as “we’ll message the price via direct message,” bank transfers using the account details of individuals, and the systematic publication of product catalogs will serve as grounds for a joint response by the State Tax Service of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine.
What are the consequences for social media sellers?
Based on the results of identified violations, inspectors will conduct educational outreach, and in cases of noncompliance, they will impose administrative fines and compel sellers to formalize their businesses.
Systematic trading without state registration as a sole proprietor or legal entity entails fines under Article 164 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (ranging from 17,000 to 34,000 UAH, with possible confiscation of products and proceeds). In addition, failure to issue a receipt to a buyer results in penalties amounting to 100–150% of the value of the goods sold.
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