A fraudulent scheme with cash receipts damages the state budget by between 200 and 250 million leva annually. This was revealed by the chairman of the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association (BPGA), Svetoslav Benchev, on bTV.
According to Benchev, the mechanism of the fraud is elementary. "The fraud is simple - cash receipts are collected, this money is given to companies that return VAT to the state. There are companies that only deal with this", he explained to the national television.
The comment by the chairman of the BPGA comes after the government introduced a bill aimed at curbing such fraud. According to the new proposals, the expanded cash receipt will become the only valid expense-reporting document and will be issued only on the date and on the day of refueling. This will eliminate the possibility of customers collecting several receipts from different days and requesting a common invoice later.
Svetoslav Benchev expressed confidence that the proposed measure will provide a quick and effective solution to the problem.
When asked why the National Revenue Agency (NRA) cannot track which companies report unusually large amounts of fuel, the expert explained that many companies participate in these schemes, and the tax authorities cannot focus their resources solely on the fuel sector.
"We believe that this change in the budget will help, firstly, to reduce the phenomenon and, secondly, to focus the NRA agents on doing their job," added the chairman of the BPGA.
Benchev also suggested that cashiers involved in the scheme probably receive additional remuneration for their complicity.
It is important to note that for individuals there will be no changes in the issuance of receipts.