Financial Services, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Shadow economy

The Revenue Service also notes that tax evasion creates unjustified advantages for companies involved in fraud schemes and affects honest companies' competitiveness. Furthermore, tax evasion also makes it harder for the state to provide quality social protection, education, healthcare, and security services.

One of the latest developments in tax evasion is reprogramming electronic cash registers and systems in order to conceal the full income amounts and therefore reduce the amount of taxes payable into the state budget. According to tax control measures carried out by the Revenue Service, such violations are established the most often at public catering, dentistry, and retail trade enterprises.

For instance, an inspection at one public catering company, a restaurant in Riga's Old Town, established that the company's incomes reported to the Revenue Service in 2014 had been reduced by EUR 337,500 as a result of reprogrammed cash registers. According to initial estimates, the amount of unpaid taxes was approximately EUR 70,000 last year. A criminal case was opened following the inspection.

At the moment, the Finance Police of the Revenue Service investigate fourteen criminal cases that deal with reprogrammed cash registers and counterfeit receipts. The implicated companies represent various sectors – construction, trucking, transport services, fuel trade.

In 2014, 195 electronic cash registers and systems were inspected across Latvia on May 7 this year. Violations were ascertained in 81% of the inspections.

In total thus far this year, the Revenue Service has carried out 775 inspections at trade and services companies that use cash registers. Violations were ascertained in 65% of all cases.

The Revenue Service has proposed several legislations to increase the responsibility of companies found guilty of having reprogrammed cash registers and tax evasion, as well as companies that reprogram cash registers.