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- IP-person: the Federal Tax Service will get the right to track the devices of owners of digital rubles
IP-person: the Federal Tax Service will get the right to track the devices of owners of digital rubles
The tax service will be able not only to monitor the movement of digital rubles, but also to see the technical trace of each requested transfer, Izvestia found out. Starting in July 2027, the statements for the Federal Tax Service will include IP and MAC addresses, phone number, SIM cards, and other identifiers of the device from which the operation was performed. This will allow you to compare different accounts, search for hidden income, and identify cases where another person is actually using the wallet. However, one IP address does not prove that a violation has been committed, and may lead to erroneous suspicions. To what extent the new data will strengthen tax control, whether they can turn into problems for bona fide users, and how to deal with citizens' trust in the digital ruble is described in the Izvestia article.
How will the tax service track transactions?
The Federal Tax Service will be able to receive more data on transactions with the digital ruble. It's not only about the amount and recipient of the transfer, but also about the device from which it was made. This procedure is prescribed in three August orders of the tax service, which were reviewed by Izvestia. The new rules will become effective no earlier than July 1, 2027.
The main change concerns the account statements of the digital ruble. According to the documents, they will be able to indicate the amount and time of the payment, its purpose, the details of the sender and recipient, as well as the technical trace of the operation. In particular, the Federal Tax Service will be able to obtain IP and MAC addresses, phone number, SIM card, or other identifier of the device from which the transfer was made.
The tax service will be able to request an individual's account statement in the same manner that is already in effect for regular bank accounts, the press service of the Federal Tax Service told Izvestia. Such information can be obtained during debt collection or with the consent of the head of a higher tax authority — as part of an audit or when requesting documents and information during a counter audit.
This data will help the tax service compare not only the movement of money, but also where transactions were made from, explained Denis Astafyev, founder of the SharesPro fintech platform. For example, the Federal Tax Service will be able to find out if a single device was used to manage several formally different accounts. According to the expert, this can become additional evidence during tax control.
At the same time, we are not talking about constant monitoring of all payments, Denis Astafyev emphasized. The orders set out what information banks and the platform operator must provide at the request of the tax authorities. The Federal Tax Service will not automatically receive information about each operation from users, he explained.
A similar mechanism already works with regular bank accounts. In cases stipulated by law, banks, at the request of the Federal Tax Service, transmit information about accounts and deposits, money balances and transactions of clients. Now such information exchange will be adapted for the digital ruble, and the tax service will be able to receive additional technical data.
The digital ruble is the third form of Russian currency along with cash and non—cash money. It is issued by the Bank of Russia, which also acts as the operator of the platform on which accounts are opened. Banks act as intermediaries between it and customers: through familiar applications, you can open such an account, transfer funds and pay for purchases. One digital ruble is equal to one regular ruble, and you can use the new form of money voluntarily. Mass adoption began in September: the largest banks must provide customers with access to transactions with digital rubles.
Why does the tax service need all this information?
The new data will help the Federal Tax Service to track hidden incomes, fictitious transactions, the use of other people's accounts and cases when a wallet is issued to one person, but in fact it is used by another, said Finam analyst Alexander Potavin. In addition, the tax service will be able to identify related transfers between several persons.
However, an IP or MAC address by itself does not prove a violation, the expert emphasized. This information is more likely to help the Federal Tax Service find suspicious transactions and decide which ones are worth checking. Based on a single technical trace, it is impossible to reliably determine who exactly made the payment or received the income, Potavin explained.
Such data can also be useful when searching for illegal business fragmentation, added Ekaterina Golubtsova, Associate Professor of the Department of State and Municipal Finance at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. For example, if several formally independent companies or sole proprietors regularly manage digital accounts from the same device and conduct similar operations, this may be an indirect sign of an artificial division of business in order to reduce taxes.
At the same time, the technical footprint can also work in favor of the taxpayer, the expert noted. Data about the device can help confirm or deny who performed the controversial operation and when, and whether it was erroneous. But the final conclusions of the Federal Tax Service should be made based on the totality of evidence, taking into account contracts, primary documents, cash register data and testimony from the parties, Ekaterina Golubtsova emphasized.
The expansion of control is linked to the government's policy of whitewashing the economy, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Global. According to her, it is important for the Federal Tax Service not to lose sight of the new settlement format. In particular, the service will be able to compare a citizen's declared income with receipts to his digital wallet.
What is the risk for taxpayers?
Technical data can also arouse erroneous suspicions. One IP address can be used by employees of a shared office, visitors to a cafe with one Wi-Fi, or customers of a mobile operator, said Denis Astafyev from SharesPro. It happens that several family members use the phone, the SIM card can be reissued, and the MAC address of modern smartphones can be changed. Finally, fraudsters sometimes gain access to the account, and the owner does not know anything about it.
Therefore, matching the IP address or other technical data is not enough to consider the accounts linked, the expert stressed. Such information should be evaluated together with the time of operations, authorization data, geolocation, the nature of payments, and other evidence. Otherwise, there is a risk of mistakenly linking people or accounts that did not actually interact in any way.
Questions may arise if there are signs of income concealment or other illegal transactions, added Natalia Milchakova from Freedom Global. For example, a significant discrepancy between the officially declared receipts and the money in the digital wallet may be the basis for additional verification. If the Federal Tax Service proves tax non—payment, additional charges, penalties and fines are possible, and if there are grounds provided for by law, criminal liability is also possible, the expert explained.
There is another risk — the new capabilities of the Federal Tax Service may affect the attitude of citizens towards the digital ruble, Natalia Milchakova believes. According to her, part of the population has previously associated this form of money with increased state control.
Therefore, clear communication with users is especially important, Denis Astafyev believes. The authorities must clearly explain what data is being collected, who gets access to it and on what basis, how it is protected and how a person can challenge erroneous conclusions.
This is one of the main risks of the digital ruble, the expert noted: high transparency of operations is convenient for government control, but it can alert users if it is not accompanied by clear guarantees of data protection.
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