Secondhand clothing chain failed to pay 38 million hryvnias in taxes, according to the Prosecutor General's Office
Law enforcement officials have uncovered a large-scale tax evasion scheme involving a chain of secondhand stores. According to preliminary data, the government may have lost more than 38 million hryvnias in VAT revenue.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to the investigation, officials of the company that effectively controlled the chain of second-hand clothing and footwear stores artificially fragmented the business to reduce the tax burden.
As investigators established, the sale of goods was not processed through the main company but through controlled sole proprietorships operating under a simplified tax system. Through them, not only second-hand goods but also household goods, chemicals, and hygiene products were sold.
Formally, the stores and financial transactions were registered to sole proprietors who acted as nominal owners or operators of the retail outlets. At the same time, according to the investigation, the actual management of the chain and the movement of funds were carried out by employees of the parent company.
According to an analytical study by the tax service, between 2023 and 2025, the state budget could have lost over 38 million hryvnias due to underreported VAT liabilities.
Investigative actions are currently underway, and all individuals involved are being identified.
At the same time, the statement emphasizes that, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Previously, a company specializing in the wholesale trade of perfumes and cosmetics fully reimbursed the state for losses in a tax evasion case.
Prior to this, police detained an organized group that used forged documents to register state-owned land plots in the names of fictitious individuals for subsequent sale, causing significant losses to the state.
Law enforcement officials notified the former and current directors, as well as the head of a department at one of the railcar manufacturing enterprises, of their status as suspects. According to the investigation, they were involved in supplying Ukrzaliznytsia with substandard rolling stock, causing losses of over 64 million hryvnias.
