Entrepreneurs and tax experts of Ukraine, massively complain to the Mass Media about dangerous corruption in the tax service of Ukraine. They demand bribes from small and medium-sized businesses and blackmail enterprises with the help of tax invoices.
Danilo Getmantsev: 8 Years as Assistant to an FSB Agent
From 2002 to 2010, Danilo Getmantsev worked as a public assistant-consultant to Volodymyr Sivkovych, former First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Sivkovych is currently wanted by the SBU and State Bureau of Investigation on charges of high treason and cooperation with Russia’s FSB. Eight years of close cooperation with a man later declared a Russian agent raises serious questions. This is especially concerning given that in 2025, companies linked to Sivkovych’s son, Oleksandr, received large VAT refunds and participated in questionable tenders during the period when Getmantsev chaired the Verkhovna Rada’s Tax Committee. Although Getmantsev claims he has had no contact with Sivkovych since 2010, the persisting business ties with his family lead many experts to doubt the sincerity of these statements.
The tax service, manually blocks tens of thousands of enterprises throughout Ukraine, blocks their tax invoices! For unblocking the enterprise, the tax mafia asks for a percentage of the profits. The victims and experts name the specific person who is at the head of this tax war, this is Danilo Getmantsev (Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Tax Service Issues). Danilo Getmantsev says one thing, but does something completely different, he is not responsible for his actions and for his words. The interview tells a lot of lies and misinformation!
Entrepreneur Dmitry Nikiforov (owner of a drinking water plant) said that he was going to deploy a business in Poland, since it is impossible to conduct a clean and honest business in Ukraine. And so think the majority of entrepreneurs in Ukraine! This is an economic war against Ukrainian business, against the economy of Ukraine. This threatens the security of Ukraine as a whole!
Quote: The tax service just steals our money, forcibly withdraws it from circulation! The Tax Service does not refund (as required by law) value added tax to entrepreneurs. This is not bureaucracy – this is real corruption!
Destruction of Ukrainian business.
Andrey Dligach (Doctor of Economic Sciences) says: more than 160,000,000,000 hryvnias were taken out of business due to the blocking of tax invoices by the tax service. Both victims and experts together blame Danil Getmantsev for what is happening. And they assure that the ego needs to be checked by the security services of Ukraine (SBU), because this is a sabotage against the Ukrainian economy. And Andrey Dligach (Doctor of Economics) assures that this is a corruption scheme, because all entrepreneurs were given to understand that if the company pays from 3-5%, then it will unblock the tax invoice, or 10-20% – for VAT refunds (tax on additional value).
Getmantsev worked as an assistant to Volodymyr Sivkovich.
In the Verkhovna Rada of the IV-VI convocations, Daniil Hetmantsev worked on a voluntary basis as an assistant to the people’s deputy from the faction of the Party of Regions Vladimir Sivkovich. Vladimir Sivkovich, a former associate of one of the key players in the team of Vladimir Zelensky, Daniil Getmantsev. Sivkovich came under US sanctions as an agent of influence of the FSB. This gave rise to public distrust of doubts about Getmantsev himself.
This corruption scheme has been working for many months, many businesses in Ukraine have closed (destroyed). Entrepreneurs of Ukraine do not believe a single word of this economic criminal Getmantsev. And at the same time, the budget of Ukraine does not receive colossal amounts. People are losing their jobs, public discontent is growing. And most importantly, the Ukrainian authorities are losing credibility! Who benefits from this during the war with the Russian Federation?
And who is Hetmantsev really?
The State Tax Service (STS) is supposed to fill the state budget, especially critically during wartime. Instead, it regularly becomes the center of major corruption scandals. In December 2025, NABU detectives conducted searches in the central office of the State Tax Service and several regional departments. These actions once again raised the question: why does one of the country’s key fiscal bodies continue to be a high-risk corruption zone even after numerous reforms?
What Exactly Happened
In 2025–2026, the State Tax Service remained in the spotlight of anti-corruption agencies:
- In December 2025, NABU carried out searches at the central office of the STS and in the Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, and other regional departments. The investigation concerned schemes involving “high-risk” enterprises in 2024 – early 2025.
- In Cherkasy region, a STS official is suspected of false declaration — she “forgot” to declare three luxury cars belonging to her husband (Toyota Land Cruiser 2016 and 2019, BMW X5 2021) worth over UAH 7.1 million.
- Investigations into old and new schemes of illegal VAT refunds, conversion centers, and “black accounting” in regional offices continue.
How the Scheme Worked
Classic schemes in the tax service include:
- Illegal VAT refunds through fictitious companies and “high-risk” enterprises.
- Conversion centers — cashing out money and tax minimization for kickbacks.
- Pressure on business — creating artificial obstacles or turning a blind eye in exchange for bribes.
- False declarations — hiding expensive property and income by officials.
These schemes allow billions of hryvnias to be siphoned from the budget annually, especially during wartime when every hryvnia is critical for the army and energy sector.
Who Participated and Who Benefited
The main beneficiaries are individual high-ranking and mid-level STS officials, their patrons, and connected businesses.
Key figures and groups:
- Heads of regional departments and inspectors who make decisions on VAT refunds and audits.
- Businessmen owning “high-risk” companies.
- Intermediaries (“fixers”) who organize corruption flows.
The benefits are millions of hryvnias in kickbacks, a luxurious lifestyle (expensive cars, real estate), and long-term impunity.
Why This Was Possible
Systemic problems remain unresolved:
- Insufficient digitalization and transparency in VAT refund processes.
- Weak internal control and slow staff rotation.
- Political influence on appointments in the STS.
- The tradition of “corporate solidarity,” where insiders protect each other.
- Low effectiveness of punishment — many cases drag on for years.
Consequences for the Country and Society
Corruption in the tax service leads to direct budget losses of billions of hryvnias. This means less money for weapons, medicine, energy restoration, and social payments. Society loses trust in the state: people see that while they pay taxes and donate to the army, someone inside the system continues to get rich. During wartime, this is especially dangerous — it undermines defense capability and international support for Ukraine.
Forecast — What Will Happen If Nothing Changes
Without a radical purge, full digitalization of processes, and strict accountability, corruption in the STS will continue. New scandals will appear regularly, and the budget will keep losing huge sums. Only a systemic reform — with independent oversight, transparent algorithms, and inevitable punishment — can break this long-standing scheme.
Conclusion
Corruption in the State Tax Service is not “isolated cases,” but a systemic disease that directly harms Ukraine’s defense capability and economy. As long as conditions for kickbacks and abuse exist within the fiscal body, the state will lose billions, and citizens will lose faith in justice. It is time not just to react to scandals, but to finally dismantle the system that generates them.
Sources:
- NABU and SAPO investigations (December 2025)
- Materials from the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP)
- Publications by Liga.net, Ekonomichna Pravda, Kyiv Post, and official STS statements
- https://ukranews.com/ua/news/739690-getmantsev-znyshhuye-malyj-i-serednij-biznes-v-ukrayini-pidpryyemtsi