12:25 05.05.2018

Fiscal service, law enforcers are leader in number of complaints in Q1 2018

3 min read
Fiscal service, law enforcers are leader in number of complaints in Q1 2018

Most of complaints received by the Business Ombudsman Council (BOC) in the first quarter of 2018, concern tax issues – 67% of the total number of complaints, and 11% of complaints concern actions of law enforcement agencies, Business Ombudsman Algirdas Semeta has said.

"We are somewhat concerned about the increase in the number of complaints about criminal proceedings on tax issues, which in the first quarter of 2018 increased by a quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. According to law enforcement agencies, every quarter starting from 2016 we see an increase in the number of complaints. In the first quarter of this year, the growth rate significantly decreased," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

An increase in the number of complaints against the Prosecutor's Office was 50%, the number of complaints against the State Security Service was one third less, the business ombudsman said.

More than two thirds (305) of the requests were related to suspension of tax invoices. However, they concern possible violation committed last year.

"We need to keep in mind that we are talking about the period when the system of blocking tax invoices was suspended, and it is a residual effect. Observing the work of the renewed system, we see a reduction in the number of complaints on the suspension of invoices," Shemeta said.

He said that in the first quarter of 2018 first a fall by 21% in the number of complaints submitted by companies with foreign capital was seen, although most of complaints arrive from Ukrainian companies (89%). The statistics of the reduction in the number of complaints from foreign companies could be explained by the decline in complaints regarding the suspension of tax invoices.

"The number of complaints against law enforces from these companies also slightly fell," he said.

Over the period the number of complaints against actions of local councils was 14. It decreased by one third in comparison with the previous quarter.

In the first quarter of 2018, the Business Ombudsman Council received 646 complaints from businesses. The average timeframe for conducting an investigation was 59 days.

"During the reporting period, we completed a record number of investigations – 509. This is 19% more than in the previous quarter and 2.5 times more than in the first quarter of 2017. At the same time, two thirds of cases were closed with an immediate desired result for complainants," the business ombudsman said.

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