The group’s announcement regarding Serbian media reports about a tax audit in Skopje
On October 4, 2023, the tax authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia carried out a tax audit on the premises of Total TV and its commercial representatives. Total TV is a satellite pay TV provider owned by the United Group.
Total TV and its agents cooperated fully with the authorities and provided all necessary information. United Group complies with tax legislation in all countries in which it operates, including North Macedonia. The company is confident that the ongoing tax audits will demonstrate Total TV’s full compliance with all its tax and other obligations.
Over the past two days, Serbian pro-government tabloids have been spreading malicious and unfounded rumors regarding the tax audit in question. United Group operates the only independent TV channels in Serbia and as a result, is regularly attacked and defamed by pro-government scandal-mongering media.
One of these outlets, which was the only source for media reports outside of Serbia, is the Informer. This media outlet is known for promoting pro-government narratives and has been widely criticized for violating the Journalistic Code of Conduct in Serbia, attacking political opponents and spreading pro-Russian disinformation.
The Informer and other Serbian scandal-mongering media relayed lies about the objectives of the investigation by implying that it involved both United Group and its shareholders. The audit only concerns Total TV. Moreover, these media blatantly violated the presumption of innocence and claimed that Total TV was guilty of tax evasion.
It is unfortunate that some media outlets outside of Serbia reproduced these slanderous claims without fact-checking them or conducting any investigation. United Group will take all necessary legal actions to defend its reputation and restore the truth.
