Ukraine to tax people for travelling abroad

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According to Ukrainian Mass Media, at the present moment, the parliament of that country is working on the bill ‘On making amendments in the Migration Regulations Act for residents of Ukraine leaving or entering Ukraine’.

According to Ukrainian Mass Media, at the present moment, the parliament of that country is working on the bill ‘On making amendments in the Migration Regulations Act for residents of Ukraine leaving or entering Ukraine’. In the first place, these amendments relate to those residents of Ukraine who wish to leave the country. From now on, they will have to obtain a special one-time leaving permission in the bodies of internal affairs. Consequently, residents of Ukraine will have to do it every time they go abroad regardless of the purpose of the trip, whether it is tourism, education or labor migration. Additionally, the author of this legislative initiative people’s deputy Yaroslav Moskalenko suggests that the leaving permission should be liable to state tax, the amount of which will depend on the duration of staying abroad. For instance, only a few days abroad will cost about $19 (500 UAH), a month abroad will cost about $38 (1000 UAH), over a month abroad will cost about $64 (1700 UAH). The leaving permission will be obligatory for all social categories except minors under 2 years old.

Ukrainian experts believe there is high probability that this bill will pass and come into force in the short run. See for yourselves, this bill enables Ukrainian government to kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, complicating the process of crossing the border is meant to help Ukraine get over the rampant demographic crisis which is descriptive of low birth rate, high mortality rate and external migration of the labor force. According to Moskalenko, enactment of such official document that individually licenses leaving abroad of citizens will help to ‘get labor migration under control’. In the longer term, it will possibly even put a stop to the ‘wave of demographic decay’. Secondly, the so-called ‘leaving tax’ ensures a large inflow of funds in the state treasury, which is vital for Ukraine in conditions of economic and productive crisis, impoverishment of the population and growing expenses for suppression of civil war. Combination of these factors might give powerful stimulus to resolution of pressing problems as well as further development of Ukraine and its integration in European society.

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