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on the path to building a quality system of administering taxes and fees,” said Serhiy Verlanov, the deputy finance minister. “Reforming the State Fiscal Service creates the foundation to demilitarizing tax bodies and improving the quality of services that are offered to taxpayers and improves the transparency and accountability of the work of tax and customs bodies.”
The proposed reorganization of the State Fiscal Service will require an audit of its database, said on December 19 Nina Yuzhanina, the head of the parliamentary committee on tax and customs policy, as reported by the Ukrinform news agency. It’s not understood the extent to, which the databases are protected, ensure the level of work that needs to be done and can technically fulfill all the work that the new bodies will need to perform, she said. The tax and customs codes also have to be amended in this parliamentary session in order for the division to occur, Yuzhanina said.
Originally called the Revenue and Fees Ministry, the State Fiscal Service was created in 2012 in what was largely seen at the time as former President Yanukovych consolidating authoritarian power over Ukrainian state bodies. It united the State Tax Service and State Customs Service into one government body.
“The Finance Ministry’s statement on this reorganization doesn’t make clear the timeframe in, which this will occur. So it’s not clear if this will affect the reinstatement of Roman Nasirov as State Fiscal Service head in the coming weeks. The court ruling reinstating him will be reviewed by an appellate court,” Zenon Zawada of Concorde Capital said in a note.
2.4 Martial law cancelled but chances over 50% of reimposition
Martial law concludes as president proposes extending certain measures
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced on December 26 that he decided not to renew martial law that had been imposed for a month on ten of Ukraine’s most vulnerable regions. “I’d like to emphasize that the Russian threat hasn’t gone anywhere,” he told the National Security and defence Council, adding that “we would have asked the Verkhovna Rada to extend this martial law if not for the elections.” He asked military leaders to publicize Ukraine having gained modern armaments and military hardware as a result of martial law.
At the same time, Poroshenko asked the State Border Service to extend certain measures imposed under martial law, without specifying them. He said he will await from the its head, Petro Tsyhykal, proposals “to extend these or other means that were not directly tied to the martial law.” These measures were highly criticized but “were recognized as absolutely justified,” he said, adding that extending them will have the council’s support.
Among the gains from martial law being imposed is the confirmation of the ability to deploy interdivisional military units in the event of a Russian military invasion, said on December 26 Viktor Muzhenko, the chief of the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. In addition, the Armed Forces confirmed their ability to mobilize military reserves in a short time period. More than 30,000 reservists renewed their skills during training exercises. The Armed Forces also successfully conducted complex training of territorial defence brigades
10 UKRAINE Country Report February 2019 www.intellinews.com