Core Viewpoint - The case of Wenzhou Changhao International Trade Co., Ltd. involved fraudulent export tax refunds amounting to 19.6792 million yuan through the issuance of false VAT invoices without actual goods transactions [1][2][3]. Group 1: Fraudulent Activities - Wenzhou Changhao International Trade Co., Ltd. engaged in fraudulent activities by paying fees to 12 upstream companies to issue 1,528 false VAT invoices, resulting in the illegal acquisition of export tax refunds [1][2]. - The company reported an unusually high foreign exchange settlement amount of 82.7 million yuan from June 2015 to December 2017, with no corresponding shipping expenses [3]. - The company’s financial records showed a total payment of 300 million yuan for goods from June 2015 to August 2023, while only 2.15 million yuan was spent on shipping and agency fees, significantly lower than industry averages [3]. Group 2: Investigation and Evidence - A joint task force comprising tax authorities, police, and banking officials was formed to investigate the case, tracing over 1,700 invoices and identifying a pattern of concentrated invoice issuance from upstream companies [4]. - The investigation revealed that the upstream companies had a close relationship, with the same financial personnel managing multiple entities, indicating potential collusion in issuing false invoices [4]. - The task force uncovered a total of 160 million yuan in fraudulent funds and identified the main perpetrator, Zhou, and 12 upstream companies involved in the scheme [4]. Group 3: Legal Consequences - The legal actions taken against Wenzhou Changhao International Trade Co., Ltd. included the recovery of 1.3507 million yuan in tax and penalties, along with a fine of 20 million yuan imposed by the court [5]. - Zhou, the legal representative of the company, was sentenced to ten years and three months in prison and fined 1.2 million yuan for his role in the fraudulent activities [5]. - The tax authorities emphasized their commitment to combating tax fraud and maintaining tax order to ensure national tax security [1][5].