Is it true that Ukraine will face a collapse of gas stations from March 1 – explanations from experts
20 February 10:57
Starting March 1, all gas stations in Ukraine may be shut down. This was announced on February 17 by MP Nina Yuzhanina on her Telegram channel, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
The MP informed that starting from March 1, only cash registers that generate fiscal checks in the new form approved by the order of the Ministry of Finance No. 601 can be used. However, in addition to the order, there must also be a protocol for transferring information from the cash register to the State Tax Service. And the government has not yet approved it.
“Currently, no cash registers can be finalized and updated, as the National Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the State Tax Service have not approved a new protocol for transferring information from cash registers to the State Tax Service, taking into account the new form of fiscal check. It is unknown when they will approve it. So, from March 1, gas stations will either have to stop selling fuel and close down, or they will be operating in violation of the law and will receive a fine of 150% of the cost of the fuel sold,”
– said the MP.
In response, a source in the Ministry of Finance said that the protocol Yuzhanina is referring to is to be signed by the State Tax Service and the National Bank in the near future. Therefore, the “betrayal” is canceled and the gas stations will continue to operate from March 1.
RRO (payment transactions registrar) is a term in Ukrainian legislation that defines a fiscal cash register as a means of state control over the circulation of non-cash and cash funds, accounting of goods, registration of services provided and settlement transactions.
The devices authorized for use are included in the “State Register of Payment Transaction Recorders” by an order of the Ministry of Revenues and Duties of Ukraine. It consists of two parts: a list of cash register models allowed for initial registration with the tax authorities and a list of cash register models whose initial registration (certificates of conformity) has expired. Regardless of which part of the State Register a cash register model is in, it can be used by a business entity in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Use of Cash Registers.
However, Yuzhanina claims that there is still a threat of gas stations being shut down on March 1.
“... asof February 18, 2025, nota single model of a classic cash register with an updated version of the internal software in accordance with the requirements of the Order of the Ministry of Finance No. 601 is included in the State Register of Cash Registers. And while it is possible to switch to the use of software-based cash registers in all areas of activity, the use of software-based cash registers in the wholesale and/or retail trade of fuel is expressly prohibited by law,”
– she wrote.
So, can Ukrainian motorists really face the collapse of the gas station system on March 1? To clarify the situation , Komersant ukrainskyi turned to experts.
Читайте нас у Telegram: головні новини коротко
The essence of the problem
As explained exclusively for by the director of the consulting group “A95” Sergiy Kuyun, the issue is a new form of fiscal receipts introduced to increase the transparency of trade in excisable goods.
“Last year, in November, I think, the Ministry of Finance issued an order stating that a new form of fiscal receipts was being introduced. The ones we receive at the cash desk. The information content will be changed – some information will be removed, some will be added, and there will be a QR code that will allow you to scan it immediately and check its authenticity. This is important, in fact, because it will increase the transparency of trade in excisable goods. That is, it must be done,”
– explains the expert.
However, in order for this to work, it is necessary to reprogram the cash registers that print these receipts and are connected to the National Bank’s servers. This is a technical procedure, and to implement it, we need to get special protocols from the tax service and the National Bank to flash all cash registers. However, these protocols are still not available.
“Accordingly, there may indeed be a situation when March 1 comes and there are no new protocols, but there is a rule that requires new checks. And a new check is physically impossible to knock out. Accordingly, a fine will be imposed on such a seller. The seller has two options. Either to stop and not sell, or to sell and then expose themselves to a fine. Therefore, such a situation potentially exists,”
– says Sergiy Kuyun.
Will gas stations stop working?
However, the expert does not believe in such a scenario. He emphasizes that stopping the operation of all gas stations in the country will have negative consequences for certain officials, so this will not be allowed. And the solution will be very simple – they will postpone the date of launch of the new checks to a later date.
“So I think they will either think of a good idea to extend it, or it will happen that on March 1, everything will really stop for a few hours, and they will quickly rewrite their order and postpone the introduction of new checks,”
– summarizes Sergiy Kuyun.
Energy expert Gennadiy Ryabtsev agrees with him. He notes that this problem arose due to the fault of Ukrainian officials.
“This problem arose due to the untimely preparation of documents that allow business entities to switch to new reporting to the tax authorities. And this problem could have been avoided if not for the poor performance discipline of some civil servants,” he emphasizes,
– he emphasizes.
The expert agrees that the collapse of gas stations is a very unlikely scenario.
“It is certain that gas stations will not stop working from the first day of the year, because most likely all documents will be prepared in an accelerated mode,”
– says Mr. Ryabtsev.
