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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The increase in Russian strikes, this new tactic of Russian terror, with permanent alarms, leads to greater economic losses. And that means more money is needed.
There is very little money. War. There isn’t enough money. It would seem we should close the gaps that exist. Of course, doing everything possible to receive external money ahead of schedule, not with a delay. But no. Why?
Because the reform of de-shadowing, in reality, is the most difficult. Because nobody likes it. More precisely – everyone is against it. There is the fight against corruption. For example. And it is not liked by politicians. Indeed, it limits the power of politicians and creates risks for them. If not even travel to prison, then forced emigration to Vienna. And there, in Vienna, money is only spent. Not earned. But, at least, these reforms are supported by people. At least in words. And the population is all for the rule of law and the fight against corruption. So publicly opposing it is hardly anyone dares.
Then there is the transition to a market economy and the elimination of non-market tariffs. Here, of course, people are opposed. Even those who receive subsidies cannot explain why they are against it. Because it still should be free. But politicians are against it only because of populism. That is, fundamentally, it does not disturb their peace. They would not be against it. And are ready to do it. Only they worry about their ratings.
But with the reform of de-shadowing there is trouble. People are against it because no one enjoys paying taxes. These are people who claim to be against smuggling, but are very for buying from a sole proprietor without paying these duties and VAT. And you claim to be against corruption, but in reality you constantly use internal legitimate offshore arrangements and you say to look for money at the customs. Forgetting that there are drops there, and most importantly – it is in retail trade. In words you strongly dislike the Chinese who support the Russians, and you strongly support domestic producers, but in reality you defend your right to buy without taxes (and thus cheaper) on the Chinese marketplace.
Equal rules of the game? No, we have not heard… And politicians are against it. Because all these shadow flows partly land in their pockets. And it can be very useful one day in Vienna. And they are happy to support in society the view that paying taxes is not timely. There are no lobbyists for de-shadowing.
Sometimes it seems, for example, that only Andy Gundor fights the shadow tobacco market. Because he is the head of the American Chamber of Commerce, and legal cigarettes are produced by American companies. But the irony is that the budget loses more. Because the cost of a pack of cigarettes largely consists of taxes. But losses $1 trillion per year do not concern anyone. No one cares that our share of the illegal tobacco market is more 20%, 5 times higher than in Moldova. No, people like to buy illegal goods. And to politicians, presumably, those portions of this billion dollars that stimulate seeking elsewhere are appealing. Because it’s hard to see these five illegal factories in great Ukraine. Moreover, some officially call themselves a “dairy plant.” Well, you wouldn't check…
Even a grown-up and completely legitimate business can in one paragraph advocate for introducing insurance against military risks, which has become very relevant this year, and at the same time oppose tax increases, because everything will be stolen. Then where to take money for compensation of military risks is not said. Moreover, the phrase that even ordinary Ukrainians say is amusing: 'we will not pay taxes until we see...' What exactly needs to be seen varies.
But the catch is that in Ukraine almost no one has ever honestly paid taxes. Well, that is, if there were a story like 'we all paid taxes honestly, but saw that they were used badly and stopped paying,' then it would be half bad. But no. No one paid. But pensions are low. And infrastructure is poor. Not like in Europe. But taxes, like in Europe, no one has ever paid….
Everyone likes the status quo. Everyone likes earning now X and not thinking that as a result changes could make them twice as rich. Not for oligarchs, not for ordinary Ukrainians.
Why are the poor? Because they are fools.
The problem is that war creates not only the risk of poverty. And it seems not to remind people under the constant threat of a Shahed drone overhead, ready to kill…
Source: Sergey Fursa / Facebook
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Втрати $1 млрд податків на рік нікого у владі не хвилює". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.
