Business Ombudsman says tax authorities mostly violated laws while inspecting entrepreneurs 

According to the results of the monitoring, the Business Ombudsman drew up administrative protocols on the identified violations, made recommendations to the heads of regulatory agencies, as well as proposals to initiate criminal proceedings.

List of regulators that have committed the most violations identified by the Business Ombudsman in 2021:

• Tax authorities – 238 cases;
• Agroinspektsiya – 167 cases;
• State Ecological Committee – 166 cases;
• Ministry of Transport – 129;
• State Inspectorate for Plant Quarantine – 120 cases;
• Sanitary and Epidemiological Service – 104 cases;
• Other regulatory authorities – 310 cases.

In 2021, the largest number of employees in the tax authorities (224), the Committee for Environmental Protection (133), the Ministry of Transport (103), the Agroinspektsiya (94), the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (92), State Inspectorate for Plant Quarantine (84) and other control bodies (176) were prosecuted for violations. 

“In 2021, the Business Ombudsman has submitted 8 proposals to the prosecutor’s office to prosecute offending officials of the Ministry of Transport, and criminal proceedings have been instituted against them,” the report said.

In addition, as a result of 55 submissions to 19 heads of oversight bodies, offenders were disciplined or dismissed.

It was added that from 2022, the Business Ombudsman has the authority to consider 9 types of violations, including administrative cases on violations of the procedure for inspection and inspection of financial-economic activities of business entities. Penalties for this category of offenses range from 40 to 80 BCAs.