Ukrainian agricultural producers will hold a rally outside the building of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Tax and Customs Policy in Kyiv on December 20.
This decision was made after a national meeting of agrarians in Kyiv on December 19.
The protesters will demand that the tax committee consider draft law No. 7403, which repeals the previously adopted amendment on non-refunding of VAT to oilseed exporters.
Lawmakers representing four parliamentary factions – Samopomich, Batkivschyna, People’s Front, and Volya Narodu (the Will of the People) – announced at the national meetings they would vote in favor of renewing VAT refunds for oilseed exports.
They also pledged to initiate the incorporation of the said bill into the agenda on December 21.
“We will initiate a meeting with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. Tomorrow we’ll raise the issue related to the consideration of bill No. 7403 by the tax committee, and we will also ask to include it in the parliament’s agenda on Thursday,” member of the Rada’s Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations MP Ivan Miroshnichenko said.
Ukrainian lawmakers on December 1 voted to amend the Tax Code to cancel VAT refunds for exports of soybeans, rapeseeds and sunflower seeds from March 1, 2018. The amendment was introduced by MP Vadym Sydorchuk from the People’s Front parliamentary faction.
Should the VAT refunds be cancelled, Ukrainian farmers could lose about Hr 10-16 billion per year.
