Tax office demands human rights activist to pay 37mn rubles

The tax office of the Partyzanski district of Minsk made a court claim to recover over 37mn Belarusian rubles of taxes from human rights activist Valyantsin Stefanovich.

BelaPAN learnt this from Stafanovich’s colleague, Uladzimir Labkovich.

He says the tax office wants to collect 31.5mn rubles of taxes and 6mn rubles of fine from Stefanovich. The court claim was made because he failed to pay the sum voluntary. The trial date has not been set.

Labkovich notes that the sum of allegedly unpaid tax was calculated on the basis of information about Stefanovich’s foreign bank accounts revealed to Belarus by Lithuania and Poland. “Stefanovich does not agree with the claims of the Taxation Ministry. Money on his accounts is not his income, so he needn’t pay taxes on it. Money on his personal account were transferred by different funds and used only for his human rights activity, including using the money as aid to third parties,” Labkovich said.

“Fund statements were sent senders. They did not make any claims against us. As for Stefanovich’s income, he pays taxes annually. But he thinks this money on his foreign accounts is not taxable,” Labkovich said.