Fraudsters in the supply chain: Who pays taxes as a result of fraudulently completed formalities?
01-10-2023
Presumption of guilt - you'll say it doesn't work that way. Unfortunately, in tax law, the taxpayer is presumed to be guilty of breaching the tax law unless he proves otherwise. The only question
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is whether, even if proven not guilty, the taxpayer will not have to pay the tax. In a recent judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) clarified whether the owner of an excise warehouse (whose guilt has not been proven) will have to pay the suspended taxes (in this case almost €3 million) in a case where the evidence of the completion of the formalities has been falsified and where the goods have been transported to an unknown destination. The clarifications are important not only for the owners of excise warehouses, but also for all users of suspended tax regimes - transit, customs warehousing, temporary admission for processing and others - in order to better understand, assess and manage the risks involved. The CJEU has also clarified when goods are considered "lost" and no tax is due.
Ingrida Kemežienė
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