Moldova's E-commerce boom: Tax service cracks down
Online commerce increased by 40% last year in both transaction value and delivery volume.
This rapid surge in online trade has caught the attention of authorities, who have begun to more closely monitor online activities to prevent illicit practices.
The State Tax Service (STS) announced that from January to June of this year, it identified 718 online advertisements promoting the sale of certain product categories and indicating possible illicit business activities.
These ads were typically placed on the 999.md website, Facebook, and Instagram.
As a result of controls carried out by tax inspectors, several violations were uncovered, leading to 193 infraction reports being filed and total fines of 328,400 lei being imposed.
"The State Tax Service (STS) urges taxpayers to comply with fiscal regulations and to conduct their economic activities transparently, thereby contributing to the development of a fair and sustainable economic environment. Taxes paid from declaring all transactions enable quality medical services, decent pensions, efficient education, social assistance, and European infrastructure," the STS stated to all merchants.
Additionally, citizens are encouraged to ask for a fiscal receipt to confirm the purchase of a product or the provision of a service, and to report tax violations to 0 8000 1525, a toll-free number.
It's worth noting that the total value of online transactions paid via bank cards reached 12 billion lei in 2024, an impressive increase compared to just 1.35 billion in 2015, according to data from the National Bank of Moldova. Expert estimates for 2025 exceed the 15 billion lei threshold for online transactions.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
