You're reading: Kyiv regional customs service from April 1 toughens post-audit control

Kyiv regional customs service is planning from April 1, 2012 to launch a campaign to toughen post-audit checks of foreign economic traders to establish if they evaded paying taxes during customs clearance, Deputy Head of Kyiv regional customs service, Natalia Levedynska, said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"Customs bodies have analyzed that there are many cases in which the taxation base is reduced and foreign economic traders do not pay certain sums to the budget. The campaign to toughen post-audit controls over the customs clearance of cargo after allowing goods to be fully tradable in Ukraine is planned from April 1, 2012," she said.

She said that the Customs Code introduces restrictions of the term of customs clearance up to 24 hours, so customs clearance has to pass freight consignments with minimum checks.

"It was decided to toughen post-audit control so not to allow having losses of the budget," Levedynska said.

She said that each foreign economic trader has a chance to analyze the taxation base and voluntarily pay unpaid taxes.

"The fine for them will be only 3% of the unpaid sum. If they wait until the checks by supervision bodies that are representatives of the customs service, the fine will reach 25-30%," she said.

She said that the voluntary payment of unpaid taxes allows traders to avoid being put on a black list of those who did not pay some taxes after customs control.

With the toughening of the post-audit, the staff potential of Kyiv regional customs service will be improved, and the number of checks could double, she said.

The customs service said that in 2011 some Hr 424.2 million was sent to the national budget after such checks by customs bodies.