11.06.08

Some unscrupulous individuals cheated St. Petersburg tax officials out of about 12 million rubles. They did this by forging the signatures of a company to open a bank account. They then submitted a value added tax (VAT) refund claim on behalf of the company, which tax officials approved. The refund money was transferred into the newly opened account. The next day the money was gone.

The actual company also submitted a VAT refund claim several months prior to the psuedo-reimbursement. After waiting a long time, they complained to the Arbitration Court about the tax officials' delay. It then became clear that the money had already been credited, but to the wrong account. The court ruled that the tax officials had fulfilled their duty, and it wasn't the court's duty to investigate fraud.

The Supreme Arbitration Court, however, decided that responsible, tax-paying citizens should not have to suffer, so they obliged the tax officials to pay the refund again.

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Source: «Учет. Налоги. Право.»