The State Tax Service of Ukraine has tightened control over business entities that engage in retail trade in excisable goods. The main condition for being on the market is compliance with the legislation on the minimum wage. According to the the words of the department’s leadership, entrepreneurs who ignore these requirements are forced to cease their activities. Currently, the number of licensees in the country has already decreased by 3 thousand people.
During February and March 2026, tax officials identified more than 6.6 thousand high-risk business entities. These entrepreneurs did not comply with the established norms for three consecutive months, which, according to the law, is a direct basis for the cancellation of trade permits. The total number of valid licenses in this sector decreased from 167.2 thousand to 158.6 thousand units.
«Violators were fined almost UAH 17 million. By the way, those entrepreneurs who were not ready for the new rules have already left the market,” said the Acting Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, Lesya Karnaukh.
In addition to salary fraud, other typical violations were also identified during 1,500 actual inspections. Among them are the sale of products without excise tax stamps, non-compliance with established prices, the absence of registrars of settlement transactions, and the failure to issue fiscal checks to buyers. To date, more than 2.9 thousand licenses have already been terminated or are in the process of being canceled.
“The number of licensees has decreased by 3 thousand – from 56.1 thousand to 52.9 thousand. The number of licenses has also decreased by 8 thousand – from 167.2 thousand to 158.6 thousand”, — emphasized Lesya Karnaukh.
The State Tax Service emphasizes that transparent work and payment of official salaries are more economically beneficial than the risk of complete loss of business. At the same time, representatives of the business community, in particular the European Business Association, call on the government to involve entrepreneurs in developing alternative methods of filling the budget. This will allow for effective combating of the shadow economy without creating excessive pressure on honest taxpayers.
Systematic monitoring of the excisable goods market will remain a priority for fiscal authorities in the near future. The state plans to continue to cleanse the market of unscrupulous players, ensuring equal conditions of competition and stable revenues to the state budget under martial law.
