Tax Service sends massive letters to Ukrainians via money transfers: Hetmantsev reacts

22 May 13:22

The State Tax Service of Ukraine (STS) has started sending massive letters to citizens suspected of conducting unregistered business activities via the Internet. The letters are mainly about receiving funds to bank cards from the sale of goods without registering as a sole proprietor. The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, appealed to the tax authorities about this, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports

Why does the tax office send letters?

Since May 2025, the State Tax Service has tightened control over online commerce by tracking money transfers to individuals’ bank cards. People who sell goods or provide services online without being officially registered as individual entrepreneurs (IEs) began receiving letters inviting them to come to the territorial offices.

An example of such a letter was published by accountant Lyudmyla Bodnar on the social network Threads. In the document dated May 8, 2025, the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Chernivtsi region requires a personal appearance to provide explanations regarding the operations of accepting funds through the services of Nova Pay LLC.

If the violation is confirmed, a protocol on administrative offense may be drawn up under Article 164 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (CAO).

What is the penalty for ignoring it

In the comments, the accountant noted that if you do not come to the tax office after receiving such a letter, you can get a fine for unregistered activities.

If a person does not come to the tax office, he or she may

receive a fine for unregistered business activity;
be included in the list of tax law violators;
receive additional inspections and blocking of accounts.

Hetmantsev’s sharp reaction

Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Tax Policy , criticized the mass mailing of the letters:

“Where does this ability to twist any normal idea to the opposite, discrediting the system, come from. Is this some kind of virus? Are you that indifferent to what you do and how it is perceived? Do you really not care about the result?” the MP wrote.

Although he supports the fight against shadow business, Hetmantsev emphasized that mass prosecution for 200 hryvnias from online sales is excessive and ineffective.

“But instead of identifying really unregistered businesses and dealing with them, you are sending out random letters of happiness to everyone without exception? For 200 hryvnias? Are you serious? Have you calculated how much your administration costs the state? Have you realized how you are discrediting both yourself and the state by doing this? With such tax officers, you don’t need enemies. The leadership of the State Tax Service, please pay attention immediately,” the MP summarized.

The tax authorities have begun to monitor online trading

The State Tax Service is actively monitoring bank transfers, in particular from services:

“Nova Pay”
bank P2P payments
accounts of individuals who regularly receive funds from third parties

These transfers are analyzed in order to:

identification of unregistered entrepreneurs;
identification of individual entrepreneurs without cash registers/payroll registers who violate the payment procedure.

Who can be summoned to the tax office

The tax service may summon:

individuals who systematically sell goods online and receive transfers;
individuals without a sole proprietorship who accept funds through payment services;
registered sole proprietors who do not use cash registers/PTRs, if it is mandatory.