"According to existing legislation, if companies were subject to tax probes in the past, they are not inspected again. In case of VimpelCom, the company has never been inspected," the source told journalists.
"We inspected LUKoil, Surgutneftegaz, other companies with large revenues. It is a common practice and a normal logic on the part of tax inspectors," the source underlined.
"The problem lies in a different sphere. Business and public circles are concerned that somebody might use tax probes as a means to apply administrative pressure," he said.
Addressing journalists, the source stressed, "If you were sure that it is a regular probe you would never feel the anxiety, and would not say a word against it. Unfortunately, nobody believes in the objective nature of these probes today."
At the same time, the source admitted that there were many examples of the abuse of power in the Russian tax, customs and legal systems.
He also said that on the regional level tax probes are conducted so often that for some companies they have become a regular affair.
"However, we have to admit that the work of our tax authorities is not always efficient and objective," the source conceded.
