Four institutions launch large-scale monitoring of manufacturers and traders of excise goods

Starting today, April 11, large-scale inspections of tax warehouses and wholesale sites trading in excise goods start by order of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The joint action—conducted by the Customs Agency, the National Revenue Agency, the Ministry of Interior, and the State Agency for National Security—is part of a coordinated mechanism for continuous oversight and prevention of smuggling, as well as ensuring compliance with tax and social security legislation. The initiative was announced by the Prime Minister earlier this week and aims to establish permanent control and counteract smuggling and the shadow economy.

The four institutions are launching a targeted monitoring of tax warehouses involved in the production and storage of motor fuels, high-alcohol-content spirits, and cigarettes, as well as commercial establishments selling excise goods (alcohol and tobacco products). The monitoring is based on preliminary risk analysis within the excise sectors and serves as a preventive measure to ensure adherence to excise and tax legislation.

The monitoring includes round-the-clock physical control over the entry of raw materials and the exit of excise goods from 47 tax warehouses across the country, as well as from 18 wholesale facilities in 12 cities. As part of the joint actions, inventory in cash registers will be compared to fiscal device readings, stock levels in warehouses, and data reported in company information systems. Full sales monitoring will also be conducted, including checks on clients of wholesale establishments. In the tax warehouses, samples will be collected for laboratory testing, and audits of remote reporting systems and excise documentation will be carried out.

The scope of coordinated actions may be extended to include monitoring and inspection of additional sites.

More than 500 officers from the Customs Agency, NRA, SANS, and the Ministry of Interior will be involved in the monitoring process. Authorities emphasise that the operation will not disrupt the regular functioning of the warehouses and commercial establishments.