The threat of halting fuel stations and complexes due to the introduction of a new form of fiscal receipts starting March 1 is unfounded, according to Sergey Kuyun, director of the A-95 consulting group.
"No one will stop the operations of gas stations simply because the tax authorities or the Ministry of Finance haven’t adequately completed some paperwork. This involves refueling for military vehicles, ambulances, police, and emergency services. It's more likely that the paperwork will change rather than the market will cease to function. I don't see any threats here; I am confident that officials will do their jobs," Kuyun said in a comment to "EnergoReform" on Tuesday.
The A-95 director noted that this issue concerns not only gas stations but also the entire retail sector, which involves more than 250,000 cash registers. He himself has yet to receive any calls or inquiries from gas station networks regarding this matter.
According to him, the business itself was partially the initiator of changes in the format of fiscal receipts aimed at increasing market transparency for excise goods, but problems arose during the implementation of these changes, as often happens.
"The form of the receipt is changing; some elements are being added while others are being removed. This is merely a formality. However, implementing it requires more time than the month provided by the Ministry of Finance. I don’t think delaying the introduction of these changes will be a significant problem," Kuyun explained.
He also emphasized that politicians should be more responsible with such statements, especially during difficult times.
"I don’t quite understand why politicians escalate the situation, knowing that the collapse they predict is impossible. This is not an isolated case; there are discrepancies, but Ukrainians possess basic common sense," noted the A-95 director.
On Monday evening, MP Nina Yuzhanina ("European Solidarity") wrote in her Telegram that starting March 1, 2025, the operations of all gas stations could be halted.
"The reason is that from March 1, only cash registers that generate fiscal receipts in the new format approved by the Ministry of Finance Order No. 601 can be used," she stated.
"Currently, no cash register can be modified or updated because the National Bank, Ministry of Finance, and State Tax Service have not approved a new protocol for transferring information from cash registers to the State Tax Service considering the new fiscal receipt format," the MP pointed out.
According to her message, gas stations are only allowed to use traditional (hardware) cash registers, therefore, starting March 1, gas stations must either stop selling fuel and close down or operate in violation of the law and face a fine of 150% of the value of the fuel sold. She added that the deadlines for issuing fiscal receipts in the old format should be extended (at least by six months).