In an interview with EP, the head of the tax committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Daniil Getmantsev, shared.
"We estimate that around half of the economy is shadowed, but there are sectors, such as trade, where it reaches 60-70%," noted Getmantsev.
According to him, comparing VAT revenues for the first 8 months of 2021 with those for the same period in 2024 shows a 73% increase. This significantly exceeds inflation, and considering the economic downturn, these are absolutely normal figures.
"Our tax efficiency has increased by 14.2% – this indicator allows us to calculate how much VAT is paid on the volume of taxable operations. For alcohol, the tax efficiency was 5.1% in 2021, and today it stands at 7%. In absolute numbers, this translates to an additional 1.2 billion over 8 months this year. Revenue from legal alcoholic beverages has risen by 28%," the deputy explained.
He also mentioned that last week the Verkhovna Rada voted on a bill establishing a guaranteed tax obligation for distilleries based on their capacity, rather than the amount of alcohol they produce.
"From fuels, we have an increase of 5.1 billion hryvnias or 45% compared to 2023. From the gambling business, revenues in 2021 were 204 million, in 2022 – 730.9 million, for the first 8 months of 2023 – 5.6 billion, and for the first 8 months of 2024 – 11.7 billion. Currently, it’s already 13.5 billion. This vividly demonstrates the cost of the 'shadow' to the state," Getmantsev noted.
According to his data, revenues from cash registers in the jewelry business in Ukraine increased by 67.8% from August 2024 to January 2024.
"A very telling figure is vending machines – up 350%. They were completely in the shadows. However, the shadow is not only the shadow business, but also officials and law enforcement who feed off this shadow. It’s a clan system that has been formed over 30 years and has been managing the state," Getmantsev explained.
He also provided additional data regarding electronics revenue.
"For electronics, we see a 34% increase since the beginning of the year and a 157.7% rise in VAT revenues (year-on-year). We held a hearing in the committee, and representatives from networks like Yabko, Yabloko, and others came to us. They seriously stated: 'Look, the market used to operate this way. We need a roadmap from the state on how to emerge from this.' They are confident they are doing everything right, but they need some transitional periods to operate 'legally'. And this is in the third year of the war," Getmantsev noted.
Recall:
The Verkhovna Rada was forced to raise taxes "retroactively" due to "extraordinary circumstances."