Answering the question of the host of the talk show on the Ukraine 24 channel Vasily Golovanov about raising taxes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said that rent payments for minerals "will definitely increase." However, this will not affect small businesses and entrepreneurs, Zelensky added, calling the discussion of raising rental rates as a matter of increasing the tax burden on businesses as manipulations.
“Indeed, in the new powerful law there is an increase in the tax on iron ore ... Iron ore belongs to the people and these bowels belong to the people according to the constitution, and it seems to me that the tax should be increased. It is reasonable that no one goes into the shadows ... We know exactly how to make sure that no one gets hurt and does not close the business. But we will not give an opportunity at a time when we have a war, when it is hard for us, when we have nothing to pay pensions to people, we will not give 200-300% of money from state subsoil, ”Zelensky said.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine last week approved a bill with amendments to the Tax Code, which proposes the indexation of certain tax rates, such as fees for the use of water, forests and environmental tax, as well as an increase in rent payments for mining, raising the efficiency of the excise tax ...
The bill behind the eyes is called the "Akhmetov dispossession project", because, among other things, after its adoption, the rent for the extraction of iron ore is greatly increased. Let us remind you that now the rent for iron ore is charged at the rate of 11-12% of its cost. After the entry into force of the law, a tax of 0.1% to 16% will be charged based on the market price. In this case, the price of ore with a high iron content - 62% will be applied.
Adoption of unreasonable decisions can bring the mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine to its knees, while this industry is one of the largest employers and suppliers of foreign exchange earnings, said Serhiy Belenky, a member of the Council of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.
Talk that Ukrainian mining companies pay a low rental rate for the extraction of iron ore - US $ 4 per tonne is absolutely manipulative, said President of Ukrmetallurgprom Oleksandr Kalenkov. According to him, the current record rise in prices for iron ore raw materials is a temporary phenomenon associated with the dire epidemiological situation in Brazil and South Africa. He recalled that not long ago ore cost about $ 40 per ton on the world market.
