Will there be gasoline at gas stations starting March 1? Experts have provided their insights.

What Threatens the Operation of Gas Stations and Under What Conditions They Will Operate

As warned by Nina Yuzhanina, a member of the committee on financial, tax, and customs policy, all gas stations may halt operations starting March 1 due to the requirement to use only cash register systems that generate fiscal receipts in the new format approved by the order of the Ministry of Finance No. 601 before that date.

According to Nina Yuzhanina, gas stations must stop selling fuel and close down.

Thus, she stated that gas stations must cease fuel sales and shut down. Otherwise, they will face a fine of 150% of the value of the sold fuel. This is because only cash register systems that generate fiscal receipts in the new format will be allowed. However, currently, no cash register system can be modified or updated.

"At the moment, no cash register system can be modified or updated because the National Bank, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Tax Service have not approved the new protocol for transmitting information from cash register systems to the State Tax Service, taking into account the new fiscal receipt format. When it will be approved is unknown," — wrote Yuzhanina.

Collapse or Not: How Fuel Will Be Dispensed and Whether Gas Stations Should Pay Fines

Energy expert and director of LLC "Consulting Group A-95," Sergey Kuyun, noted that critical infrastructure will not be left without fuel. He emphasized that the fact that the agencies did not prepare the protocol in time will not halt the market.

"If they are critically late with something, I think they can postpone the implementation of this document. But that is already a problem for the Ministry of Finance. I am confident that no one will stop dispensing fuel and everyone will continue to operate. There are no critical changes in this form. It is assumed that the receipts will contain some new information. This does not affect the reporting of gas stations on volumes. In other words, the receipt format is changing. Some new parameters will appear, while some will disappear. Is this a valid reason to say that a gas station will cease operations? I believe not," - said Sergey Kuyun.

It is assumed that the receipts will contain some new information. This does not affect the reporting of gas stations on volumes.

He also pointed out that making such loud claims about "imaginary threats" is unnecessary.

Economist and chairman of the Economic Discussion Club, Oleg Pendzin, agreed with Kuyun. He cautioned against panic and statements about a fuel collapse.

Energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev commented not only on the problem but also explained why it may happen again.

"Unfortunately, we have a rather familiar issue, where documents essential for the normal functioning of business entities are not prepared on time. It is correct for both specialized experts and lawmakers to highlight these problems and draw attention primarily to those who should create and form the necessary regulatory prerequisites to prevent issues for businesses," — said Ryabtsev.

A familiar problem has arisen where documents necessary for the normal functioning of business entities are not prepared on time.

He concurred with Sergey Kuyun regarding the operation of gas stations. However, he noted that this situation has arisen due to the fault of the state executive power.

"I don't think that after such a mention, the executors will neglect this attention... There will certainly be no closure of gas stations, but this process needs to be monitored. Theoretically, the situation entails a fine for gas stations. However, there is a valid reason for not paying it, as there is no regulatory document. So, how should they operate?" — he added.

In his opinion, this situation has occurred due to low executive discipline and may happen again.

"Exclusively because of this. This is unfortunately a problem of the state authorities in Ukraine and is a consequence of insufficient demands from leaders, who are mostly incompetent and irresponsible. Everything is determined by leadership. Unfortunately, there is currently no acknowledgment of the problem of low executive discipline in state authorities. Therefore, these issues will continue to arise and cause emergencies where it could have been managed according to regulations," — explained Gennady Ryabtsev.

It is worth noting that there have been discussions about fines for those who issue fiscal receipts in the old format, particularly on January 1, 2025. The Ministry of Finance's order provided for the possibility of indicating a simplified product name in the fiscal receipt, establishing a definition for a payment terminal integrated with cash register systems, as well as making several technical amendments to regulation No. 13. According to the order, it was allowed to issue receipts in the old format only until January 1, 2025 (in certain cases for duty-free shops until March 16, 2025).