The Income and Tax Ministry of Ukraine could gain the right to administrate the single fee for obligatory state social insurance, as the corresponding amendments to the Budget Code and other Ukrainian laws were approved by the Ukrainian parliament at first reading on April 18, 2013.

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that the opposition did not support the transfer of the said function, which is currently fulfilled by the Pension Fund of Ukraine, although the faction of the governing party – the Party of Regions – thanks to the support of the Communist Party faction and around a dozen of lawmakers who are not a member of any faction, managed to garner more than 230 votes to support the two corresponding bills.

In addition, parliament passed another two bills on amendments to the Tax and Customs Codes of Ukraine in connection with the creation of the Income and Tax Ministry at the end of 2012 on the basis of the State Tax Service and State Customs Service, as a part of the president's administrative reform.

The head of the profile parliamentary committee, Vitaliy Khomutynnik, said that the documents do not foresee an increase in the fiscal burden on taxpayers or changes to the tax administration institutions operating today.

As reported, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in an order of March 18, 2013 approved a resolution on the Income and Tax Ministry of Ukraine, according to which the ministry is the main agency in the system of the central executive power agencies in the issues of formation and realization of the state policy of administration of the single fee for obligatory state social insurance.