Regional inspection of illegal fur trade in the hairdressing and beauty industry, focusing on barber shops and nail salons, labeled as HZA-SW
The Financial Control Schwarzarbeit (FKS) of the Customs Administration has conducted a regional special audit in Lower Franconia and large parts of Upper Franconia to combat tax evasion and illegal employment in the hairdressing and cosmetics industry.
Last week, 90 officials from the FKS carried out the audit across the regions of Schweinfurt, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Aschaffenburg. According to the Main Customs Office Schweinfurt, the audit focused on employment relationships in barbershops, nail studios, and hairdressing and cosmetics salons.
During the on-site inspections, data was collected from employees, which will be matched with the companies' payroll and financial records, and further business documents will be examined. The audit uncovered potential violations in 42 additional cases.
Some of the suspected violations include withholding and embezzlement of wages in nine cases, evidence of non-payment of the statutory minimum wage in eight cases, and suspicion of illegal employment of foreign workers in eight cases. Numerous shortcomings regarding mandatory registration and recording obligations were also identified by the customs officials in the businesses.
The investigations into combating tax evasion and illegal employment in the hairdressing and cosmetics sector in the Schweinfurt, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Aschaffenburg region have been ongoing in recent years, including 2024, as part of broader efforts to tackle tax evasion in various sectors in Bavaria and Germany. However, no exact specific dates or a single event for this region were detailed in the available sources.
The customs audits are risk-oriented, with both random and full audits of all employees of an employer. The audits are aimed at maintaining a high number of audits in certain industries to reduce societal acceptance of tax evasion and illegal employment.
Press inquiries can be directed to the Main Customs Office Schweinfurt Press Office, contact details for which are: Benedikt Danz, Tel.: 09721/6464-1030, Email: [email protected], and website: www.zoll.de. The customs investigations are ongoing.
