Main points
- The Ukrainian authorities have supported the introduction of a tax on digital platforms such as OLX and Uklon to tax online income.
- The bill provides for a rate of 5% and will not affect used goods, with simplified conditions for self-employed individuals.
OLX, Uklon and other services will be taxed later / Shutterstock
The Ukrainian government has supported the introduction of an “OLX tax” – a tax on digital platforms for earning money. This news has sparked a discussion on social networks, and People's Deputy Yurchyshyn explained why this step is important for Ukraine.
Why will an “OLX tax” be introduced in Ukraine?
MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn stated on Channel 24 that the logic here is simple: if Ukraine seeks to live by European rules, then approaches to taxation must be appropriate.
According to him, in European countries, any income – regardless of the method of receipt – is subject to taxation.
This is a situation where people sell goods online and actually receive “real money”. In most European countries, such operations do not go unnoticed by tax authorities. Therefore, according to the deputy, Ukraine should also move in this direction:
- He separately drew attention to the fact that the problem is much broader than just selling things on OLX.
- For example, these are various services such as Uklon, Bolt, or Glovo, where a significant portion of income was not properly taxed.
Yurchyshyn emphasized that the tax issue also has an international dimension. According to him, Ukraine's partners in Europe who provide financial assistance are increasingly asking a logical question: why are taxes on such services paid in their countries, but not in Ukraine?
That is why the introduction of clearer rules for taxation of online income is considered not only as a domestic reform, but also as part of Ukraine's obligations on the path to European integration.
By the way, the bill was “softened” for users of digital platforms before the first reading. The following amendments were made to it:
- Bill 15111 will not apply to used goods;
- self-employed people will be able to pay taxes like ordinary individuals;
- the requirement to open special accounts was removed;
- refused to disclose banking secrecy.
Please note! The draft law provides for taxation of income from digital platforms at a rate of 5%.
What else do you need to know about taxes in Ukraine?
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The European Business Association supports the abolition of VAT benefits for goods cheaper than 150 euros and proposes to amend the Customs Code.
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The abolition of the privilege will help Ukraine bring its tax and customs rules closer to European Union standards, reducing budget losses, which, according to experts, may exceed 43 billion hryvnias since the beginning of the war.
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Parliament adopted draft law No. 15110, extending the military levy for 3 years and creating a special fund for military needs.
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This year, it is planned to collect 163 billion hryvnias from military levies, which is an IMF requirement to receive an aid tranche.