18 data centers are closed in Sweden by the local tax office (Skatteverket). According to Datacenter Dynamics, the sites were outlawed after it was discovered that they were secretly involved in cryptocurrency mining, taking advantage of tax breaks intended for regular data centers. We are talking about evading payment of 990 million Swedish kronor (about $91 million), including VAT and other surcharges. The investigation began back in 2020. The tax department said it was difficult for it to quickly determine the purpose for which a given data center was being used. The National Money Laundering Risk Assessment Framework has taken crypto mining into account since 2020, but local laws still do not provide for liability for data centers that illegally mine cryptocurrencies, allowing them to operate without regulatory oversight. Experts believe that the lack of control allows such data centers to conduct illegal transactions, avoid paying taxes and launder money.
Source: 3dnews.ru