MINSK, 20 August (BelTA) – After meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 19 August, Taxes and Duties Minister Sergei Nalivaiko told reporters about the details of the campaign to fight the so-called envelope wages, BelTA has learned.
“Much attention is paid to this area of work this year. This is one of our priorities. It is clear why the head of state is concerned about it. In fact, the budget loses tax revenues; transfers to the Social Security Fund drop, which poses a significant threat to the government's ability to meet its social security commitments,” the minister said.
According to him, this campaign relies on several areas of activity - not only oversight, but also awareness raising. Tax administration agencies try to prevent violations, first and foremost. “More than 16,500 tax payers (economic entities) who pay small wages received notifications. Almost 30% of them responded by clarifying their tax obligations, and thus more than Br5 million in income tax was paid on a voluntary basis. Another Br6 million was paid following inspections. These are the results of the six-month work,” Sergei Nalivaiko said.
