Natalie Jaresko from the United States, Aivaras Abromavicius from Lithuania and Alexander Kvitashvili from Georgia - chosen to Ukraine’s ministry of finance, economy and health ministries, respectively -- said they will push for changes in these sectors using the experience of their countries and their own professional success.
Jaresko, who’s been living in Ukraine since 1992 and is a founding partner of Horizon Capital, a private equity fund, said her team plans to focus on tax reform which has to become the basis for new budget policy. This year the tax revenues already increased by some five percent and this has to continue, according to her.
“The tax reform is about simplification, encouraging de-shadowization of the economy, increasing the revenue via more standard application of taxes on a rule of law basis,” Jaresko said at news conference on Dec.3
The cooperation with international lenders, including the International Monetary Fund, should also continue, according to her. Ukraine has already received some $9 billion in different types of support, she said.
For Abromavicius, who previously worked for East Capital, a Swedish investment bank, one of the priorities is the reform of the management of state-owned enterprises which he plans to launch by the year end. Aside from that, he and his team plan to push through the laws, including the one on transfer pricing, that would allow to receive $500 million from the World Bank as well as a number of laws related to deregulation, he said.
Alexander Kvitashvili, who was in charge of the Georgian ministry of labor, health and social affairs in 2008 would like to withdraw the tender procedures form the sphere of influence of the health ministry first.
“The ministry of health should not be a procurer of anything,’ he said. “Currently the government procures the service, provides the service, and controls the quality of service provision. This has to be remodeled.”
The agency that will take care of the public tenders will be in place by Jan. 1, according to him. It is modeled after the experience of Georgia where the state procurement is done through open public electronic tenders with maximum transparency, he said.
“This Cabinet will deliver (results). It’s very capable, very good and very aggressive to be successful. This country is tired of unsuccessful efforts. This is our chance,” Kvitashvili said.
Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected]
