Accruing personal income tax at places of taxpayers' dwelling could accelerate development of satellite towns

Kyiv, July 10 (Interfax-Ukraine) – One of the key problems of satellite towns is a lack of developed infrastructure, and the problem could be solved by accruing personal income tax at the places of taxpayers' dwelling, not at places of their work, the president of the Ukrainian Strategy All-Ukrainian nongovernmental organization, Anatoliy Pinchuk, has said.

"The old problem of satellite towns is the problem of infrastructure of these towns. But the infrastructure problem is a derivative of a problem of budgets of the towns, and this is the problem of our present tax laws. I cannot explain the fact that the country has not yet introduced European requirements, under which people pay personal income taxes themselves and pay it at the place of their dwelling, as personal income tax is the basis of local budgets," Pinchuk said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday, devoted to the presentation of the Rating of Attractiveness of Kyiv Satellite Towns.

"Until the problem is settled by the state… it will hinder the development of satellite towns and any towns in Ukraine around large regional centers," Pinchuk said.

Editor-in-chief of the Kontrakty business weekly Olena Shramko said that 10 satellite towns of Kyiv city were selected for the assessment of their living standards: Irpen (ranked first), Vyshgorod, Obukhiv, Ukrainka, Vyshneve, Vasylkiv, Brovary, Boryspil, Boyarka and Makariv (10th).

The towns were ranked under following criteria: criminality figures, ecology, availability of schools and kindergartens, healthcare centers, the price of property, the margin of investment in housing property and the development of infrastructure.

Shramko said that Irpen won in the rating with 41 points out of 60 possible points.

A member of the Solidarity association of constructors in Irpen, Vasyl Pikulyk, said that at present, there is a problem of a shortage of around 400 places at pre-school centers, which will be settled in two or three years. The average price of square meter in the town is $820-850.

President of the Ukrainian Urban Society, people's architect of Ukraine professor Mykola Diomin said that the Kyiv city's general plan foresees around 2,000-3,000 hectares for housing construction in the 30-40 kilometer zone around Kyiv.

Diomin said that the construction projects in satellite towns should be realized in a such way so not to interfere in life of their residents. In addition, the requirements for the dimensions of buildings should be taken into account.