The CEO of GT Group, which includes the liquefied gas supplier Gaztron-Ukraine LLC, Vladyslav Kolodiazhny, claims that his business is being unjustifiably blocked by tax authorities and that there has been a prolonged delay in issuing a license for the company's refurbished oil depot.

"I am completely overwhelmed with administering countless inspections, refuting accusations, and overcoming administrative pressure on my business. No sooner do we fend off one attack than another arrives with even more fantastical reasons," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Kolodiazhny said that the inspections do not reveal any violations, and the refusals to issue a license for the oil depot are explained by formal reasons.

On his part, the director of the consulting group A-95, Serhiy Kuyun, reported on his Facebook page that the tax authorities have currently classified Gaztron-Ukraine LLC, whose 18 Rodnik gas stations operate in the frontline Kharkiv and the region, as "risky," thereby blocking their ability to issue tax invoices. According to him, this prevents even the importation of fuel to the filling stations. He adds that 95% of the group's supply volumes are sourced through direct import contracts and from domestic producers, with the remainder being purchased from other traders.

Kuyun mentioned that the group's operating filling stations, 95% of whose sales are LPG, could be more than 18, but the tax authorities have been blocking the issuance of licenses to Rodnik facilities restored after military actions and occupation since 2022.

Meanwhile, according to him, in the third quarter of 2023, the group demonstrated one of the highest tax burdens per liter of fuel sold at retail – UAH 2.14. For comparison, he cited data from the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax, and customs policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, according to which the average burden per liter in 2023 was UAH 1.37.

Kuyun suggested that one of the reasons for blocking GT Group's business is its principled refusal since 2022 to use gas of Russian origin, which, according to him, "still controls the market" and allows other companies to maintain lower fuel prices.

Under Kuyun's post, Hetmantsev left a comment promising to look into the situation.

"Thank you for the information. Got it! I am sending a request to the relevant authority. I will follow up," he wrote.