Co‑founder of Nova Poshta Criticizes VAT on Parcels After Law Passed

Co‑founder of Nova Poshta Volodymyr Popereshniuk sharply criticized the Verkhovna Rada’s decision to tax parcels from abroad worth up to 150 euros, adopted on 16 September. According to the businessman, practically every Ukrainian will suffer from this tax, since the Law on parcel taxation will affect consumers, retail, and logistics. He published his statement on Facebook. Popereshniuk emphasized that the state by its nature always seeks to expand control and pressure businesses, and the new tax will slow the country’s economic development.

16 September the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading the bill to cancel the exemption for untaxed parcels, reports Informator. Bill No. 16051-1 was supported by 273 deputies. This is already the third attempt by the Ministry of Finance to pass a similar tax increase through parliament.

"The government still managed to ram through this harmful tax for the economy. I sympathize with everyone, because practically everyone will be harmed by parcel taxation," wrote Nova Poshta co‑founder Volodymyr Popereshniuk on Facebook.

The businessman explained that parcel costs and delivery times will increase, and because of this Ukrainians will spend more money, since there is no alternative assortment of imported goods. Ukrainian retail will also suffer, he said, which is already struggling due to hits on warehouses, and now consumers will have even less money for purchases.

"A customs collapse will form due to an increase in workload by tens or maybe hundreds of times, so logistics will suffer. And not only postal operators—this will affect all carriers, which in turn will influence the growth of smuggling," noted Volodymyr Popereshniuk.

The entrepreneur concluded that the state by its nature always seeks to expand control, raise taxes, and pressure business, and every new tax will slow economic development, welfare, and the country’s defense capability.

What the new parcel law provides

The document provides for the abolition of the VAT exemption for goods worth up to 150 euros that arrive by postal shipments, while free gifts up to 45 euros will still not be taxed. The law may come into force no earlier than 1 July 2027 — after the corresponding government decision.

The Cabinet of Ministers explains the need to tax parcels as a desire to create equal competitive conditions for Ukrainian business, which for years has suffered from unequal conditions due to duty‑free imports from marketplaces like AliExpress, Temu, or Amazon. Parcel taxation is part of the so‑called “big” tax package — it is one of Ukraine’s commitments to the IMF and the European Union, and its adoption opens the way for Ukraine to receive financing from international partners.

Earlier Informator wrote that on 6 August Popereshniuk called on the authorities for deregulation instead of new taxes, stating that Ukraine is entering a new phase of war—mutual economic destruction—and People’s Deputy Danylo Hetmantsev disagreed with that approach.

We also wrote that earlier the businessman warned that the authorities were again preparing to worsen the lives of millions of Ukrainians, emphasizing that the losses from such a levy would be greater than the revenues to the budget.

In addition, Informator wrote about the state of the country’s payment infrastructure: analysts studied the formation of Ukraine’s payment infrastructure and found that 55 participants operate in the market — state, banking, and non‑bank payment systems, as well as technology operators, most of which are registered in Kyiv.