"In May 2004, the Cabinet [of Ministers] adopted a resolution that sharply increased customs duty rates on the import of excisable automobiles. It is clear that these automobiles did not cross the border at such high rates. A large percentage of them, I think, went through 'grey schemes,' when the state gets nothing," Vitaliy Kuchman, acting head of the Yahodyn Customs, stated in Lutsk. This was reported on 29 August by the own correspondent of the Western Information Corporation. \n \n"If there is demand for some goods, it will be satisfied in any case. A certain category of people will seek and find exits, passages, ways to circumvent the law in order not to pay taxes, in order to satisfy this demand. And I think that this demand is being satisfied, but only the state no longer gets anything from it," Vitaliy Kuchman commented on last year's government resolution on increasing import duties on imported automobiles. \n \nIn his opinion, after this resolution it became unprofitable to legally import foreign cars into Ukraine, so this type of business went even further "into the shadows." \n \n"Entrepreneurs began looking for other schemes. Cars were registered through courts in our MREVs [motor vehicle registration and examination departments], people received registration documents, took them abroad, and then crossed the border already on our registration plates...," the customs officer gave examples. "However, these new schemes are constantly being modernized. We close one – they invent something else. They are so used to it, this is their business...," he added. \n \n"Recently, together with the former head of the regional UMVS [Internal Affairs Directorate] Mykhailo Lebediev, we developed a certain scheme, and now not a single automobile is registered in the region's MREVs without a request to customs. When such a car is registered, the MREV makes a request, we provide confirmation from the central database that the appropriate payments were made for this automobile. And only on the basis of this certificate is the car registered," explained the chief customs officer of the Yahodyn Customs. \n \nTo a clarifying question about the real reasons for the recent dismissal of Mr. Lebediev, who was accused of inaction regarding the cessation of illegal legalization of cars, Vitaliy Kuchman admitted: "Now is such a time that one should not look for logic in everything. Very many things are done illogically, which is hard to explain...". \n