Russia has intensified tax audits on businesses: billions added due to budget deficit

The Federal Tax Service of Russia has begun to act very strictly - now on-site audits of businesses have become much more frequent due to a serious shortfall in the state budget.

The efficiency of tax audits has significantly increased. As reported by The Moscow Times, in Moscow the proportion of on-site audits that ended without additional tax assessments fell from 6.75% to 2.56% in 2025.

Now tax service inspectors at the pre-audit stage identify possible violations, suggesting that companies manually pay additional taxes. If they refuse, an audit begins, leading to additional assessments.

The tax service closely examines small details in businesses and other schemes to reduce tax liabilities. Most violations are discovered before the audit begins when a company falls into a risk group.

In particular, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, over the past 7 years, the amounts of additional assessments have reached record highs - 120.68 million and 248.79 million rubles respectively.

The Federal Tax Service of Russia has heightened its control over businesses due to the growing number of on-site audits, more effective methods of detecting violations, and increased amounts of additional assessments. The new tactic of inspectors during pre-audit measures involves identifying possible violations even before the audit begins, allowing for maximally effective business control and preventing tax evasion.