Tax evasion worth €9.5 million uncovered

SLOVAK law-enforcement forces known as ‘tax cobra’ have uncovered a tax evasion case concerning the import of mineral oil from Poland, which cost the state at least €9.5 million, head of the Financial Directorate Frantisek Imrecze revealed at a press conference on June 2, as reported by the TASR newswire.

The tax cobra – a combination of the Financial Directorate (under Finance Ministry) and the National Crime Agency (NKA) – sting has already resulted in charges being pressed against a total of 22 people, and is proposing that three of them should be remanded in custody.

“[The charged persons] engaged in importing lubricating oil from Poland, with the oil not being subject to excise tax in Poland. It was brought to Slovakia and placed on the market as diesel oil,” specified Imrecze, as quoted by TASR.

Nevertheless, the official added that, according to the documentation, the oil was supposed to be shipped to Hungary. In reality, the goods were unloaded in Slovakia, with the tankers that carried the oil from Poland carrying out their trip to Hungary without the oil.

Slovakia was therefore cheated out of €3.5 million in excise tax and another €6 million in VAT.