MP slams potential loss of tax revenue, as 50% of grain export earnings evade taxation

Ukrainians cultivate some of the lands, but according to the documents, these lands are not cultivated. Thus, taxes are not paid on half of the exported grain, Danil Getmantsev , head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, said in an interview for LIGA.net.

"The farmer took this grain, it is 'black', it has no origin, registered it to a fictitious company, loaded it on a ship, the ship left, then he transferred this grain to the same fictitious company several times abroad, they transferred this grain several times, money have not returned to the country, not a single penny of taxes has been paid. And we're talking half of the grain," Getmantsev said.

"Customs and law enforcement agencies are not perfect", that is why there was a need for a draft law to combat "black" grain.

"The mechanism is that each grain must have a history. That is, only the VAT payer can export, the VAT payer must have input VAT for this grain, and so on to the first producer. This whole chain must be with VAT. If you do not have a document the origin of this grain, you are not allowed out by law," the parliamentarian explained.

He also mentioned a proposal from the SBU security service to allow a three-month period so that farmers can pay the state a large percentage of the cost of "black" grain and take it out in one go. "But the discussion is ongoing," Getmantsev added.