The head of the parliamentary committee on finance and tax policy, Daniil Getmantsev, has repeatedly stated that the “black” market for tobacco products sells products through a network of stalls that do not have cash registers.
But the MP does not say anything about who is the main supplier of tobacco products to this stall market.
This is the monopoly distributor of Tedis Ukraine of businessman Boris Kaufman, who is now under investigation for several criminal cases (from tax evasion to organizing a criminal organization in Odessa).
It is Tedis, which is associated with the Russian oligarch Igor Kesaev, that supplies cigarettes to the Ukrainian “black” market for cash and the volume of this market, judging by analytics, is increasing.
70% of the stall fee in cash goes to Tedis. The motivation to pay cash is fueled by discounts starting from 1%. They don’t put a big dent in Kaufman’s pocket, since he keeps 20% VAT with him and 10% when cashing out. Below we will explain where this amount comes from and how high-ranking officials are lying to us about the fight against the black market in tobacco products.
In the first seven months of this year, Kaufman received at least UAH 10 billion from the stallholders. And against this background, both Getmantsev and Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Evgeniy Sokur look very strange. They perfectly see all the amounts and volumes, but they assure senior management and citizens that the situation is improving. Both Sokur and Getmantsev understand what is happening, but they provide “Tedis” Kaufman with a “cover” at the parliamentary and tax levels.
Official statements that the situation on the tobacco market has improved in Ukraine and the share of illegal sales has decreased due to the “closure of gray industries” does not stand up to criticism. In the first half of 2024 and July inclusive, about UAH 30 billion literally “disappeared” from the tobacco market, from which the budget received insufficient taxes. Officials are manipulating statistics in an attempt to cover up the complete failure and deterioration of the situation. Below we will explain how the head of the financial committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Daniil Getmantsev, and acting, are related to this situation. Deputy Head of the State Tax Inspectorate Evgeniy Sokur and the owner of the monopoly distribution company Tedis Ukraine Boris Kaufman.
According to Oleg Getman, coordinator of the Economic Expert Platform and associate expert of CASE in Ukraine, tax payments are increasing on the tobacco market, which leads to a further conclusion that “the shadow is decreasing.”
Indeed, if you look at the graph of sales volumes, which are measured in hryvnia, you can assume that the theses about sales growth and “decrease and shadow” are correct. But experts and officials manipulate these data without specifying what caused the increase. And it is fully explained by the 20% increase in the excise tax on tobacco products. In general, the price of one pack of cigarettes increased by 24% year on year. But even if you compare sales data for January-July 2023 with this year, you can see a drop in revenue by UAH 3.46 billion.
And if you translate the monetary amounts into the number of cigarettes sold, you get a 24% year-on-year drop in sales.
That is, contrary to all statements by officials, there is a decline in “white” sales of tobacco products in Ukraine.
At the same time, there is a paradoxical increase in cigarette production, which can be tracked by excise duties paid for each month.
You can see that in June-July, manufacturers paid excise duties, which indicates an increase in the production of tobacco products. And this does not coincide at all with the general decline in cigarette sales in Ukraine, which would be the envy of the Ministry of Health of any country.
As a result, products worth UAH 30 billion disappeared from “white” sales in annual terms, along with their consumers (every fourth smoker). The only way she could “disappear” was by supplying products to the shadow market for cash. And here we come directly to the main characters of this scheme - Kaufman, Getmantsev and Sokur. The first supplies cigarettes worth tens of billions to the “black” market, the second provides cover at the parliamentary level, and the third directly to the State Tax Service.
A natural question arises: who is Getmantsev trying to convince that he does not see how Kaufman is robbing Ukraine? Here the choice is simple: either a fool or in the know. And in Ukraine there is not a single person who would say that Getmantsev is a fool.
A question arises for the State Tax Service, where not the whole world has come together as a wedge on Soku re. You see what Kaufman is doing and that he is starting to buy up tobacco manufacturers, clearly not in order to increase the state budget during a full-scale war.
Why is the Bureau of Economic Security, which is being used in the “dark” to expand Kaufman’s influence in Ukraine, silent? After all, we are talking about billions.
