Lesya Karnaukh: Fuel market improves tax return indicators

Press service of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, published 05 June 2026 at 13:10 Chapter: News

Fuel market of Ukraine is showing positive changes. Tax returns are increasing and transparency level of the work of market participants is gradually increasing. This was informed by acting Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine Lesya Karnaukh, during the Petroleum Ukraine Warsaw’26 conference.

“Fuel market is gradually coming out of the shadows. And this is already visible not only from the audit results, but also from figures of budget revenues. In the fourth quarter of the year, the excise tax on produced fuel exceeded planned figures, namely 4.7 billion UAH was received (103.1% of the plan)” – she stated.

VAT payments have increased: fuel producers paid 6.1 billion UAH in January – April of this year. Tax returns from gas station networks are also growing. If in 2024 tax return from gas station networks was at the level of 0.95, then in 2025 it reached 1.06. In 2026, in less than five months, we already have 1.07. 

“This is indicator of joint work of the tax authorities and market participants, who are gradually increasing transparency level in business. Despite positive changes, russian aggression has a significant impact on the fuel market. Shelling of energy facilities, damage to enterprises, changes in logistics routes, reduction of economic activity in certain regions – all this affects fuel consumption and budget revenues” – Lesya Karnaukh added.

State Tax Service also pays significant attention to combating shadow schemes and tax evasion, in particular in the wholesale segment.

Acting Head of the State Tax Service said that due to a significant increase in fuel supplies to Ukraine in 2026, the tax risk management system recorded increase in a number of potentially risky transactions. State Tax Service is carefully analyzing and processing all these cases.

During the rapid growth of trade volumes, probability of errors or inaccuracies in documentation and reporting increases. State Tax Service’s analytical systems detect such deviations automatically. This is one of the reasons for conducting additional check of correctness of the declaration of transactions. Separate area of ​​work is monitoring correctness of the profit declarations by enterprises. We have cases when individual companies declare low financial results, although they continue to work actively and invest in business development. 

We investigate cases where fuel is sold at prices lower than the cost of its purchase or delivery. In order to prevent use of illegal schemes, including illegal import or circulation of so-called dark petroleum products.

“Our approach is unchanged: open dialogue with honest business and principled position towards those who try to work at the expense of shadow schemes” – Lesya Karnaukh emphasized.