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Manipulations with cash register data found at several Latvian catering companies

BC, Riga, 17.12.2014.Print version
Over the past several months, the State Revenue Service's Financial Police Department has uncovered several other instances of cash register manipulations at catering companies, which, as a result, has led to the state collecting less taxes than possible, informs LETA, referring to the State Revenue Service.

The SRS has carried out inspections at various catering companies between September and November of this year, and established that several of these companies handed to clients only pre-bills, but after payment were not issued with the actual fiscal receipts. The receipt is the actual document which confirms the transaction, and several of these companies skimmed money off of the final bills, using tampered cash registers, and did not issue the actual receipts.

 

The SRS has already fined the companies involved in these tax-fraud schemes.

 

The SRS believes now is the right time to implement necessary changes in the electronic cash register system in the country, as new requirements for cash registers would substantially facilitate an increase in tax revenue, thus allowing the state additional opportunities to invest this money back into important national sectors.

 

As reported, the organized group connected to the owners of the "Gan Bei" restaurant chain stole between EUR 700,000 to EUR 800,000 per month from the company's cash registers, or approximately 50 percent of monthly turnover. On December 10, the Finance Police detained seven persons involved, including the wife of MP Sergejs Potapkins (Harmony), who was one of the ring leaders.

 

Police searches were also carried out at one of Latvia's largest cash register system developers, who have a wide range of clients throughout the country. Together with the cash register systems, this company offered clients special malware programs which allowed them to reduce the actual amount of money in their cash registers and take these sums out of the cash out of the registers. In such a way, the company was able to reduce its official turnover, the SRS informs.

 

''This criminal group operated a very complicated structure, and carefully planned all of its actions. It was made up of top-level specialists. Also detained is the top management of the involved cash register system company, as well as the developers of this malware programs,'' SRS Finance Police Chief Kaspars Podins said during a press conference last week.

 






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