Russia proposes tax deferrals and audit freeze for Wildberries until 2026 after Ukrainian drone strikes

Russia’s Finance Ministry proposed tax deferrals and a freeze on audits for Wildberries and affected sellers through the end of 2026, following Ukrainian drone strikes on the retailer’s warehouses. The measures, submitted to the government on Aug. 24, would extend deadlines for value-added tax, profit tax, insurance contributions, and advance payments for RWB Group—the merged entity of Wildberries and Russ—until July 28, 2027. For entrepreneurs whose goods were destroyed in the attacks, the same tax deadlines would be pushed back by one year, provided their losses exceed 5% of annual income. The ministry also proposed suspending tax audits and debt-collection actions for these businesses until Dec. 31, 2026 .

Ukrainian strikes have targeted Wildberries’ largest warehouses across multiple Russian regions since mid-June, with damage estimates for the marketplace and its sellers running into hundreds of billions of rubles. On Aug. 19, President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to adopt a recovery program for logistics and warehouse capacity, though he did not name Wildberries directly .

In Germany, the government announced plans to introduce a sugar tax on beverages starting in 2027, a year earlier than previously expected. The tax will apply to drinks with sugar content above 4.5 grams per 100 milliliters, as well as those with sweeteners, at rates ranging from 26 to 38 cents per liter depending on sugar levels. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil projected revenues of €650 million in 2027, followed by €450 million annually thereafter. A two-liter iced tea currently priced at €2.10 could rise to €2.72, while a one-liter bottle of Coca-Cola might increase from €1.23 to €1.68 .

Separately, Germany’s Left Party and the DGB union federation called for a national financial transaction tax of 0.1% after EU-level efforts stalled. The Left’s financial policy spokesman, Christian Görke, argued that high-frequency trading generates massive profits without economic stability, while DGB Deputy Chairman Stefan Körzell urged the government to fulfill its coalition commitment to the tax. Estimates from a 2015 DIW study suggest potential revenues of €18–44 billion annually, which proponents say could fund renewable energy and rail expansion .

In Greece, a tax dispute revealed a legal gap in cryptocurrency taxation after authorities rejected a taxpayer’s claim to declare €620,323.34 from Bitcoin sales under a special income code. The Dispute Resolution Directorate ruled the amount could not be classified as tax-exempt or specially taxed income, as the taxpayer had argued. The case emerges as the government prepares a new 15% capital gains tax regime for crypto assets .

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the abolition of the country’s financial transaction tax, a move critics had long demanded. Fico’s statement, issued without detailed justification, noted the tax had become a symbol of broader economic dissatisfaction. The tax, set at 0.4% with a maximum of €40 per transaction or €2 annually per payment card, had faced widespread opposition from businesses .