Tax Department calls for intensified checks on gasoline retailers to clarify irregular indicators

The Tax Department (Ministry of Finance) has instructed provincial and city tax departments, as well as the Large Enterprise Tax Department, to strengthen checks and address tax violations in the fuel trading sector amid ongoing geopolitical complexity that has affected domestic fuel supply and prices.

In March 2026, following five retail gasoline price adjustments, the Tax Department flagged potential violations of tax and invoicing rules in fuel trading. The department said it has identified signs of irregularities through a review of electronic invoicing data from selected fuel trading companies.

What the Tax Department found

The Tax Department reported that, around price adjustment periods, the quantity of goods sold before and after the changes fluctuated sharply. It also noted cases where total sales in the two days before a price increase exceeded three times the volume recorded after the price rise, indicating a high risk of tax management problems.

Inspection scope and timing

The inspection period runs from January 2026 through the end of March 2026. The focus areas include:

• Value-added tax (VAT) and environmental protection tax declarations
• Whether electronic invoices are issued for each fuel sale
• Reviewing fuel sales volumes in the days before, during, and after price adjustments, which the Tax Department said show greater fluctuations than other days

Key checks required

The Tax Department directed tax offices to prioritize high-risk enterprises under direct management for surprise inspections. It also specified several operational checks, including:

• Reviewing the number of electronic invoices issued per day, especially large-volume invoices
• Cross-checking sales accounting books against issued invoices and actual goods dispatched from warehouses
• Verifying daily or shift-level inventory records to confirm exact stock levels at the time of price adjustments
• Checking documentation and procedures related to import-export activities of fuel trading enterprises
• For customers purchasing unexpectedly large quantities, verifying transportation and storage facilities, purchase contracts, and delivery terms

Potential violations and enforcement

The Tax Department said that if signs of hoarding, speculation, or price manipulation are found—such as issuing invoices at the wrong time or failing to reflect actual transactions, price fraud or profit shifting among related entities, or not issuing invoices (or issuing incomplete invoices)—tax authorities should take strict action under applicable regulations or report to the competent authorities.