Galina Akchurina, Head of tax litigation practice, FBK Legal on tax payments to budget

Galina Akchurina, Head of tax litigation practice, FBK Legal in her interview to Rossiiskaya Gazeta commented upon the data published the day before on the web-site of Central Bank – turnover of 250 companies which did not pay taxes to the budget amounted to 4,2 trillion RUR. If a company does not make payments, it does not always mean that it is a “fly-by-night” company established for one or two major transactions. “This might happen if a firm has just started its operations: it will have expenses, however it might still have no profit. When constructing new facilities, when investing in equipment, billions may pass through a firm, however it will declare taxes only for deduction”, the expert notes. The same very statistics shows that the largest burden falls upon companies with small turnover. 192 thousand companies used to give the average of 71 percent from turnover away to the budget. The fact that the companies pay to the budget more than 70 percent of their turnover is not normal”, Galina Akchurina emphasizes: “It is a rather alarming than encouraging factor”.