Ukrainian lawmakers approve ‘unpopular’ tax hike

Ukraine’s parliament has approved the country’s first major tax increase since the outbreak of the conflict with Russia in 2022, as the budget deficit continues to grow.

The draft law, which has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition and the public, was passed by the lower house on Thursday. It proposes an increase in the war tax paid by residents from 1.5% to 5%, a 50% tax rate on bank profits, and a 25% tax on financial companies, among other measures.

The Finance Ministry said the new levies, which are expected to be signed off by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky later this month, would contribute the equivalent of $563 million to the national budget this year, and around $3 billion next year.

Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said in August that Ukraine needed an extra $15 billion to cover its budget deficit, which is expected to reach $35 billion next year. The premier added that Kiev expects to receive $20 billion from the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2025.

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on finance and tax policy, called the measure a “historic tax increase.”

Opposition lawmakers have condemned it as “a shameful decision.” Aleksey Movchan, a member of Zelensky’s party, acknowledged that the bill was “unpopular,” and that lawmakers will be “hated” for approving it.

The New York Times quoted several residents of Kiev on Thursday as saying they strongly opposed the increase.

”We’ve all been struggling financially for a long time, and now we’ll lose even more of our salaries and income. There’s a lot of concern and dissatisfaction,” the paper quoted store worker as saying.

Another concern voiced by Ukrainians is that revenue generated by the new taxes could end up in the pockets of corrupt officials. Several high-profile graft scandals have rocked the country recently.

”There is no trust that the state will properly use the money,” Solomiia Bobrovska, an opposition lawmaker and member of the parliamentary defense and intelligence committee, was quoted by the New York Times as saying.

An advisor to Zelensky, interviewed by Time magazine in October last year, told journalist Simon Shuster on condition of anonymity that people in Ukraine “are stealing like there’s no tomorrow.”

Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has insisted that reports of widespread corruption are untrue.