Public discussion with representatives of public and business held in Dnipropetrovsk under project “National dialogue: discussion of tax reform concept”

On November 6, the next public discussion as a part of the project «National dialogue: discussion of tax reform concept» took place in Dnipropetrovsk. The project is the initiative of the Prime Minister of Ukraine implemented by the Ministry of Finance jointly with the Ukrainian Media Center for Reforms.

Public discussions of the tax reform under the participation of experts, business community and public are staged with the aim to engage as many interested parties as possible and serve as an open platform for the exchange of opinions and proposals on the reform of the tax system.

The event in Dnipropetrovsk was attended by more than 100 representatives of local companies, public activists, business-associations, the local government and media. The speakers at the panel discussion were: deputy minister of finance Olena Makeyeva, first deputy head of Dnipropetrovsk regional state administration Oleg Kuzhman, president of Dnipropetrovsk CCI Vitaliy Zhmurenko, manager of “Interpipe” company for economy and finance Denys Morozov. The event was moderated by director of the Ukrainian Media Center for Reforms Taras Kachka.

In her introductory speech, deputy minister of finance Olena Makeyeva pointed out that in Lviv and Kharkiv, which had hosted the previous public discussions under the project “National dialogue”, citizens and business had actively participated in the discussion of the most problematic aspects of the tax reform.

«Tax reform is a complicated issue, but both tax payers and tax authorities are aware that they must find a compromise, no matter if they want it or not. We are searching for compromise solutions which would correspond to the interests of business, public and the state. Such open meetings enable us to create a single platform for the exchange of opinions and thoughts on the most problematic aspects of the tax reform», Olena Makeyeva said.

According to the deputy finance minister, the tax reform should contribute to the build-up of a simple, transparent and fair tax system which would foster investments, economic growth and employment. At the same time, an effective and responsible tax reform must cover the needs of the state budget and local budgets to finance their priority tasks.

First deputy head of Dnipropetrovsk regional state administration Oleg Kuzhman emphasized in his speech that tax-related regulation of economic processes should take place at the regional level and described the key development problems of Dnipropetrovsk region which are to be solved by the tax reform.

«This year our region has received tax revenues exceeding UAH 4b. This is 30% higher compared to 2014. The major contributors to our budget were profit tax, excise, property tax and vehicle tax. Revenues from these taxes were passed to the local budgets in the course of decentralization. Changes in the tax policy can impact the revenues of municipal budgets, that is why we must take into account all specific features of the local level», Oleg Kuzhman said.

According to president of Dnipropetrovsk CCI Vitaliy Zhmurenko, companies which are members of Dnipropetrovsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry basically support the tax reform draft proposed by the Ministry of Finance, since they want equal conditions for all businesses and simpler tax revenue management.

Key facts on the project «National dialogue: discussion of the tax reform concept»:

- the project was initiated by prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk;

- the project was organized by the Ministry of Finance jointly with the Ukrainian Media Center and with the support of the Fund «Vidrodzhennya»;

- the project stages a number of public discussions with the representatives of expert community, business and public in Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv.