Rada passes at first reading bill increasing some excise duties
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has passed at first reading a bill amending the Tax Code increasing the fee for the use of radio frequency spectrum, the excise duty for high-quality diesel fuel by 32%, beer and fortified alcohol by 20% and cigarettes – by 30%.
Bill 5132 was backed at first reading on Tuesday by 229 lawmakers.
In addition, 231 lawmakers backed the decision to prepare the document for second reading using the short procedure.
The government proposed to increase the royalty for all users of radio frequency spectrum in the 2,300-2,400 MHz range and 2,500-2,690 MHz range from UAH 40.92 to UAH 20,000 per 1 MHz, which is 13.4% less than the tariff the operators pay now.
The government also proposed to increase the excise duty on gasoil meeting Euro-4 and Euro-5 emission standards by 32.1% (EUR 30.50), to EUR 125.50 per 1,000 liters.
The bill also initially proposed to increase the excise duty for beer and fortified alcohol by 20%, wine and low-alcohol drinks by 12%, the specific rate of the excise duty for tobacco by 30% and the ad valorem rate – by 3 percentage points, to 15%.
