Dentists have responded to the findings of STI inspections: until we are under attack, quality services will only go a long way.

Following the findings of the ITS inspections, the Chamber of Dentists distributed a press release to the media.

“Another inspection by the State Tax Inspection (ITS), another” package “of conclusions: violations of fiscal discipline are announced and detailed cases of individual use of a car in a dental company are detailed. Although such stories receive public attention, deepening reveals that the painted image does not reflect reality. In assessing the scope of this latest inspection, the overall dental market situation is certainly not reflected: 60 dental companies were selected for inspection. The sector has a total of around 2,500 dental companies, so only 2.4 percent of them were inspected. But the findings are related to everyone, and to most honest, fee-paying dentists, “said LROR Council Vice President Dr. Vilma Brukiene .

According to dr. V. Brukienė, the representatives of control institutions in their conclusions do not take into account the different forms of activity in this sector: the analysis of wages is carried out only in limited private companies and small associations, and those who work in accordance with the requirements of the individual activity are excluded. statistics on public institutions. STI’s analysis of dental staff salaries provides misleading information, as it does not analyze staff workload, number of jobs in the facility, but only average salary, distorting the overall picture of the situation regarding to dental wages.

The Chamber of Dentists is outraged that the conclusions for the entire dental sector are drawn from isolated examples.

“Perhaps it would be possible to get used to it and try to adapt to it, but our biggest concern is that the population is only moving away from quality dental services, although officials are constantly talking about increasing its accessibility. This became especially evident after quarantine, when private treatment facilities are forced to cope with a 4-5-fold increase in the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) and its handling, as well as an increase in cleaning personnel costs and disinfection As if that were small, according to the current requirements of the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, state institutions that have concluded agreements with the Territorial Health Insurance Funds (TCA) have received exceptional conditions: benefits of VAT on PPE and medications As a result, costs for patients in private institutions have increased, and the state still cannot eliminate inate the inequalities in the financing of dental activities that have been taking place for years ”, emphasizes Alvydas Šeikus, president of the LROR Council.

reported that currently only about 20%. The country’s dental institutions belong to the Lithuanian National Health System (LNSS) and have entered into agreements with the ICD, so that only this fifth of the institutions have tax and other benefits, some ICD funds and funds from the EU are available. The private dental sector, whatever it may be, must bear all the costs, and this financial burden falls primarily on patients.

“We cannot assume responsibility for the behavior of each person and compliance with tax obligations, but by taking advantage of occasional cases of misconduct to undermine the entire sector, in our understanding, the little ones are not at least solid. Our vision is one society whose population does not have to worry about possible oral health problems and associated costs. However, if we are constantly forced to defend and justify, we will advance towards this goal much more slowly, and the dentist’s office, as in the Soviet era It will continue to be a hole of horror for many patients, not only because of the pain there, but also because of current state policy. “Predicts the head of LROR.

LROR’s main proposals on how to resolve funding inequalities in the dental sector and ensure affordable quality services for patients:

• to create a quality, transparent, public interest healthcare financing model based on the principle of “money after the patient” and not “money for the head” (that is, ICD funds for the institution for the registered patient) ;
• ensure the prevention and treatment of oral diseases in adults, especially children, with real funds;
• eliminate tax differences in the dental sector and protectionism in the public sector in accordance with the provisions of the Competition Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Assign to the Lithuanian National Health System (LNSS) all authorized institutions in the dental sector, and not only institutions that have concluded agreements with the ICD or established by the state;
• to guarantee the patient’s right to choose a health care institution and a health professional (this right is now very limited, as it is possible to choose only among the 20% mentioned above of dental institutions owned by LNSS);
• involve the Chamber of Dentists of the Republic of Lithuania or its delegated representatives in the development or improvement of financing models for dentistry;
• to complete article 21 of the Income Tax Law of the Republic of Lithuania AND to establish an exemption from income tax for permanent residents of Lithuania and to reduce taxable income for expenses incurred for dental services.

ITS Inspection Results

Delphi recalls that on July 20 the STI announced that during the inspections it analyzes not only the accounting data of income-expenses or wages, but also the real purpose of the assets acquired by the companies, so there are cases in which it is necessary to evaluate what personal needs are used and to what extent funds are used.

For example, according to SE Regitra data, one of Vilnius’ inspected companies owns two vehicles, but in company accounting, only one car. Still, in the same car during 2017-2019. The registered traffic offenses showed that it could have been used for personal purposes during that period. Both times, the car was driven by a person who did not work for the company, i. and. daughter of the owner of the company. According to his explanation, the owner of the company was transported to medical institutions in both cases, but according to official time sheets, the latter never had a temporary inability to work throughout the year. Further analysis of the VAT bills for the purchase of fuel revealed that the company’s own director repeatedly refilled the car’s tank during her vacation on Friday after work and not necessarily in Vilnius, where the company car is stored officially. Finally, the manager still acknowledged that the company’s funds had been used for personal purposes and the company calculated income in-kind and submitted revised returns with applicable taxes: GPM, VSD, and PSD contributions, and another vehicle appeared in the accounting documents. of the company.

The ITS recalled that in early June, more than 1,000 dental companies received letters from the tax administrator. The letters indicate the average salary of a particular company; If it is below the market average, a proposal is made to independently review the accuracy of your data in the returns submitted and, in the event of errors, correct them. In the average dental services company (up to 15 employees) mentioned above, the average salary in 2017 was up to 380 Eur, in 2018. – up to 400 euros, 2019 – up to 555 Eur.