Auditors: Every Russia's Oil Firm Cheats

Dealing with Russian oil major YUKOS case, Russia's chief auditor said that Sibneft, YUKOS former merger partner, had legally avoided nearly $482 million in tax.
Sergei Stepashin, the chief auditor, said: ?Sibneft avoided taxes, but this was unfortunately legal,". "Today that law has been abolished... but after having lost huge amounts of money that could have contributed to the country's budget."
Last year Russia launched a crackdown on investment-linked tax write-offs offered by certain regions.
"All companies used (these schemes) without exception, not just Yukos," Stepashin said. "But some companies, such as Lukoil, have returned part of the taxes."