At a meeting of the working group in the Verkhovna Rada, it was decided to collect proposals on ways to solve the problem of mining and processing complexes in the Kremenchuk district of the Poltava region. The proposal was submitted on March 23 by MP Oleksiy Movchan – Deputy Chairman of the VRU Committee on Economic Development, under which the working group operated.
This is about the situation with non-return of VAT against the backdrop of sanctions against businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago, whom state authorities consider to be the beneficiary of the Ferrexpo group of enterprises. Representatives of the latter have repeatedly reported the inability to work and pay wages.
People’s Deputy Oleksiy Movchan proposed to collect proposals on possible ways to resolve the situation from all authorized bodies until April 1. In addition, statistics on the number of companies in Ukraine with a similar problem will be determined.
“We need to find a balance. We need to build such safeguards so that KBV (ultimate beneficial owners) do not have a negative impact on enterprises, but there is also no such burden (with non-refund of VAT). We need to find a solution so that we balance the interests of the state and the enterprise,” said Movchan.
According to him, one of the possible ways to resolve the problem is to abolish the norm on non-refund of VAT through sanctions against the owner.
“We are returning your taxes, but there is a person sitting there who is watching: you are not spending money on Zhevago’s yacht, but on the salaries of employees,” said Oleksiy Movchan.
Representative of Poltava and Eristivsky GOK Dmitry Mospan reported that the problems of the enterprises remained the same. According to him, as soon as the plants receive a VAT refund, the money will be directed to paying salaries and resuming work.
“You know the problems of our enterprise, we have voiced them. We have shutdowns of enterprises, related contracting organizations. The total number of employees is 6 thousand,” said Dmitry Mospan.
The representative of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, Yevheniya Samsonenko, reported that it was “unwise” to cancel the rule on non-refund of tax for companies of sanctioned beneficiaries, because companies could “withdraw” money by fictitiously employing people and assigning them significant amounts of salaries, which could then be indirectly transferred to the ultimate beneficial owners.
In addition, in her opinion, the VAT refund will not be an effective step for companies, because:
– In some mining and quarrying enterprises, the tax refund is less than the salary debts, so it will not help solve the problem;
– In some mining and quarrying enterprises, the tax refund is more than the amount of employees’ salaries, so it will be impossible to track where the rest of the money will be directed.
“We have about 20 groups of companies. From this significant circle, Ferrexpo and Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant are actively defending the position of “they are not there” (sanctioned persons among the KBV). Because others understand that there is a rule of law. Therefore, it is impossible to say that this is a widespread problem,” said Yevheniya Samsonenko. (Nadra)