Representatives of the business community and government agencies met during the roundtable discussion "Control Without Pressure: How to Build Trust During Wartime?"

 The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU), in cooperation with the State Tax University of Ukraine and the Educational and Scientific Institute of Economic Security and Customs Affairs, held a roundtable entitled "Control Without Pressure: How to Build Trust Between Business and the State During Wartime?"

The event was joined by representatives of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine, the State Audit Service of Ukraine, the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Cyber Police, the Business Ombudsman Council, as well as human rights advocates, experts from leading business associations, and scholars.

Participants discussed criminal law measures concerning legal entities, specifics and prospects for regulating cryptocurrency transactions, a model of control over the use of European Union funds, analytical work of the ESBU, the specifics of investigating tax evasion, and dialogue between the business sector and the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.

During his address, Acting Director of the ESBU Serhii Perkhun emphasized that the Bureau is always open to dialogue with those ready for professional discussions and joint practical steps to combat the shadow economy.

"We carry out our tasks daily, identifying schemes causing the biggest budget losses, putting an end to them, while striving to remain transparent and open to businesses and society. In the end, we share the same goal—reducing the shadow economy, ensuring equal competitive conditions for everyone, and building a strong, stable national economy," Perkhun noted.

In turn, Business Ombudsman Roman Waschuk highlighted that the Business Ombudsman Council understands all existing limitations on communication, including procedural ones, but emphasized that dialogue is now more necessary than ever.

One of the key focus areas of the discussion was tax evasion. According to the Head of Detectives of the ESBU, Oleksandr Tkachuk, the line between tax optimization and evasion is often blurred, especially in complex schemes or international transactions. Therefore, detectives thoroughly examine each case: analyzing the circumstances, financial and tax reports, accounting documents, as well as tracking the movement of funds on corporate bank accounts, commissioning additional expert examinations, and so on.

Tkachuk stated that in the first five months of this year, the ESBU has already notified 117 individuals of suspicion of committing this crime, and 126 criminal proceedings have been referred to court.

"In cases concerning tax evasion sent to court with petitions for exemption from criminal liability under Part 4 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, UAH 1.4 billion has been voluntarily reimbursed," Tkachuk noted.

Another topic discussed was the analytical component of the Bureau's work. Deputy Director of the ESBU Andrii Pashchuk informed attendees about its structure, effectiveness, and ongoing legislative changes. The discussion was joined by Doctor of Economics, Professor, and lecturer at the Financial Monitoring Academy Oleh Pidkhomnyi, as well as Doctor of Law, Professor Oleksandr Korystin.

Additionally, participants discussed problematic issues arising during business interactions with government authorities and ways to resolve them. Particular attention was given to the impact of criminal proceedings and tax audits on business compliance processes, consequences of investigative actions for real sector enterprises, and reasonable timeframes for pre-trial investigations.

The business community was represented at the roundtable by delegates from the Business Ombudsman Council, the Ukrainian Bar Association, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, the "Ukrtyutyun" Association, the Ukrainian Sand Miners Association, the Ukrainian Business Council, and the Association of Distributors of Ukraine.