Opening an individual entrepreneur to work with foreign customers after a few years - what are the possible consequences?

Question

Individual entrepreneur

Let's say I want to open an individual entrepreneur to work with foreign customers. Here I re-read many answers to this question, everything that I could find by searching. In one answer, they advised not to open an individual entrepreneur and not to legalize the activity, since, according to the author of the comment, “they will start digging into your activities over the past years and you will be seriously hit.”
Is this true, has anyone experienced this? How do they dig, what is the possible responsibility? It turns out a catch-22: I would like to open an individual entrepreneur, pay taxes, but this threatens me, firstly, with serious hemorrhoids - all this weekly rigmarole with signatures and seals from foreign customers, possible delays in payments, which I have read about more than once. Secondly, if administrative (God forbid criminal) liability threatens, then there is even less reason to open an IP.
I want to dot all the i's before starting the activity. It may be worth somehow registering for a relative (I assume legitimate bewilderment among customers when they will have to pay to a completely different person), in addition, this does not solve the problem of whitewashing their own income.

Answer 1

It threatens with paper hemorrhoids and bureaucracy - this is YAAAAAA. Responsibility for not paying before is possible, but extremely unlikely, for one simple reason - excavations require resources and interest specifically in you. If you do not have conflicts with the tax, then no one will dig anything on purpose. Well, if we are talking about big money, then you should ask for advice from a professional lawyer, and not here. For relatives (except for the wife, and even that is in question), it’s not worth making out anything - you will make big hemorrhoids for yourself and them. In my opinion, there is no catch-22 here, if you really want to, you get formalized and start working in white.

Answer 2

He himself opened the IP about 2 years ago after several years of work for foreign customers. I did not bear any responsibility for this :) And how does the state find out about your previous activities?
I would advise you not to listen to people offended by the state and frightening with the troubles that the IP "threatens" with. Since 2016, in many regions it is possible to issue a PSN, and the tax is very small (unless, of course, you live in Moscow, where prices for a patent for software development are inadequate). And now many places have introduced a two-year tax holiday for newly registered entrepreneurs - taxes do not need to be paid at all.
I wouldn't worry about reporting either. Elba/Moy Delo do a great job with this, you just need to save all contracts for the onsite tax audit (if there is one). And I have never seen any delays in payments.

Answer 3

what is the possible liability?

Pay a fine for illegal business + taxes for everything that you didn’t pay + imprisonment for up to 5 years if the amount of taxes falls under the “especially large”. Otherwise, a rather large fine (100k or more, if memory serves).
In fact, if you have worked through a bank, it is even somewhat strange that you have not had any problems so far. Of course, banks process small amounts automatically, but there is still a risk. If through some kind of pioneer, then the risk here is minimal, tk. while it is very difficult to get to the bottom of the pioneer, and they are unlikely to do it.
Another thing is that by not opening an individual entrepreneur and continuing to work, you exacerbate the possible consequences, because. once a year and the stick shoots. Vaughn, they are going to introduce a global database on the accounts of individuals, for example. The same pioneer or accounts abroad will be calculated on a simple request for one or two ... therefore, the best solution would be to go to a lawyer and, having minimized possible risks, open an individual entrepreneur.

Answer 4

In general, criminal and administrative liability for past sins and the opening of an individual entrepreneur are not connected in any way.
And even if it (responsibility) comes after the registration of an individual entrepreneur, this will not mean at all that as a result.