The expert spoke about the danger of illegal entrepreneurship

Economic crimes related to illegal entrepreneurship are activities that look like an ordinary business, but are not legally one. This explanation was given to Izvestia by Alexey Gavrishev, lawyer and managing partner of AVG Legal.

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We are talking about the systematic extraction of income without registration as an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity, or without a mandatory license.

"Classic examples are pseudo—construction companies, "investment" projects without permits, gray financial services, medical or educational activities without a license," says the expert.

The key importance in the case of such a business is not the absence of a registration document, but the consequences for citizens, companies or the state, he clarifies.

"Ordinary people are most often affected by this rule in the role of victims — they are the ones who suffer losses when they turn to formally non—existent entrepreneurs, from whom there is nothing to recover," says the source.

The amount of damage in such cases in practice, according to Gavrishev, is estimated in millions and tens of millions of rubles.

"Major damage" is not a household story, but the result of long—term illegal activities: collecting money from clients, non-fulfillment of obligations, tax evasion and contributions. Therefore, a fine of 1.5 million rubles against the background of actual harm often looks even moderate, especially when compared with the turnover of such schemes," the lawyer draws attention.

If the detection of such crimes remains low and the investigation drags on for years, even a large fine is perceived by criminals as an acceptable business risk, the lawyer warns.

Without strengthening control over the quality of investigations, the increase in fines will not change the situation, he is convinced.

"The state has given a signal that gray business is no longer considered a minor offense, but the real result will depend not on the amount specified in the law, but on how often and how consistently this rule will be applied in practice," concludes Gavrishev.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

"Shadows" disappear at noon: Russia may increase penalties for illegal entrepreneurship

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