The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has optimized business licensing in the field of production or supply of special technical means for extracting information from communication channels and other technical means of covert obtaining information.
The adopted changes establish clear and transparent rules for licensing and conducting business. In particular:
- a written notification regarding the demonstration of special technical means can be sent by e-mail;
- a clear procedure for actions of an entrepreneur whose license has been revoked, or one who plans to apply for the annulment of own license, is established;
- a procedure for coordination with the licensing authority for the movement of special technical equipment across the customs border of Ukraine to the customs territory of Ukraine, etc., has been specified.
At the same time, for the safety of the state and citizens, control in this field is being strengthened. From now on, to the application for obtaining a license, entrepreneurs must add confirmation that their enterprises are not controlled by residents of states that carry out armed aggression against Ukraine.
In addition, requirements for the business reputation of the head of the enterprise or the head of the executive body are established.
In particular, it refers to the absence of a removed or unexpunged criminal record for a criminal offense committed in the field of business or on the job, for acquisitive crimes, for serious or especially serious crimes, lack of sanctions, etc.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved draft Law on the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024 under No. 10000.
According to Art. 8 of draft Law the minimum wage in 2024 establishes:
- in the monthly amount: from January 1 – UAH 7,100, from April 1 – UAH 8,000;
- hourly: from January 1 – UAH 42.6, from April 1 – UAH 48.
The amount of the minimum wage at the level of UAH 1,600, which is used as an estimate for calculating payments according to court decisions, has also been determined.
According to Art. 7 of draft Law, from January 1, 2024, the subsistence minimum for persons per month is UAH 2,920.
Subsistence minimum for the main social and demographic groups of the population:
- children under 6 – UAH 2,563;
- children aged 6 to 18 – UAH 3,196;
- able-bodied persons – UAH 3,028;
- persons who have lost their ability to work – UAH 2,361;
- able-bodied persons, which is used to determine the basic salary of a judge – UAH 2,102;
- able-bodied persons, which is used to determine the salaries of employees of other state bodies whose wages are regulated by special laws, as well as employees of tax and customs authorities, – UAH 2,102;
- able-bodied persons, which is used to determine the official salary of the prosecutor of the district prosecutor's office, – UAH 1,600.
According to the notice on the website of the Ministry of Finance, revenues of the general fund of the state budget (excluding official transfers and grants) amount to UAH 1,560.4 billion, expenditures of the general fund of the state budget amount to UAH 3,108.2 billion.
Thus, the draft of the State Budget of Ukraine provides for:
- defense and security sector – UAH 1,692.6 billion. This is 21.6% of GDP;
- social protection – UAH 468.8 billion (+ UAH 24.7 billion or 5.6% for 2023);
- support for war veterans – UAH 14.3 billion (+ UAH 7.5 billion for 2023);
- education - UAH 178.8 billion (+ UAH 22.9 billion for 2023);
- health care – UAH 201.9 billion including transfers (+ UAH 24.4 billion for 2023);
- digital transformation of priority industries and spheres of social life – 2.5 billion UAH (+2.1 billion UAH for 2023);
- culture – UAH 10.7 billion (+ UAH 2.3 billion for 2023);
- sports – UAH 7.5 billion (+ UAH 3.6 billion for 2023);
- expenditures on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – UAH 8.3 billion (+ UAH 2.2 billion);
- business support – UAH 30.8 billion.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is improving the program Affordable loans 5-7-9%. The emphasis of the program is strengthened in three directions:
- restoration and support of business development in the de-occupied territories;
- support of processing enterprises capable of generating high added value;
- implementation of projects in the field of energy efficiency improvement.
Businesses in the de-occupied territories are expected to receive:
- interest compensation up to the level of 1% for the first two years, 5% from the following year for investment purposes and 3% for working capital financing;
- increasing the term of lending for investment purposes – up to 10 years;
- increasing the program limit to UAH 150 million (for enterprises that were destroyed and work in the de-occupied territories).
For processing enterprises (under all KVEDs of Section C) and for energy efficiency improvement projects, the following is expected:
- interest compensation up to the level of 5-7-9%;
- increasing the term of lending for investment purposes – up to 10 years;
- increasing the program limit to UAH 150 million.
The interest rate for investment purposes remains at the level of 5-7-9%, for the financing of working capital – it is set at the level of 13% per annum.
State support is also introduced for business entities under factoring contracts (financing subject to assignment of the right to a monetary claim for goods delivered, work performed, services rendered, etc.):
- the maximum financing limit per counterparty and group – up to 95% of the amount of the monetary claim, or up to UAH 150 million (taking into account the received state support under lending and leasing programs);
- the maximum term of using factoring financing for a business entity is 360 days;
- the state compensates the costs of paying the basic remuneration up to the level of 13% per annum.
The President of Ukraine has signed the European Integration Law on state control over placing genetically modified organisms and products on the market. From now on, Ukraine will have clear rules and procedures for labeling, placing on the market, monitoring, transporting, storing and disposing of GMOs and GM products. These rules are aimed at ensuring the safety and effectiveness of GMOs, as well as at protecting human health and the environment, informs the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy.
Law of Ukraine ‘On State Regulation of Genetic Engineering Activities and State Control of Placing Genetically Modified Organisms and Products on the Market’ No. 3339-IX introduces a comprehensive regulation of the legal and organizational foundations of genetic engineering activities through state supervision (control) over the use of genetically modified organisms and circulation of GM products.
The law provides for:
1) mandatory labeling of GMOs and GM products, which allows consumers to make informed decisions about whether to buy them or not;
2) monitoring of GMOs and GM products, which helps identify any potential risks to human health or the environment;
3) transportation of GMOs and GM products in safe conditions, which prevents them from entering the environment;
4) storage of GMOs and GM products in safe conditions that prevent their deterioration or contamination;
5) disposal of GMOs and GM products in a safe way that prevents them from entering the environment.
The law also establishes sanctions for violations of rules and procedures related to GMOs.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the National Strategy for Overcoming the Gender Wage Gap for the period until 2030 and approved the operational plan of measures for its implementation for 2023-2025. The relevant decision was adopted at the Government meeting on September 15, 2023.
The implementation plan of the National Strategy for Overcoming the Gender Wage Gap in Ukraine for the period up to 2030, in particular, provides for:
1) overcoming stereotypes and discrimination based on gender;
2) improvement of legislation on equal pay;
3) creating conditions for a convenient combination of family and professional duties.
The National Bank of Ukraine by Resolution No. 107 dated September 5, 2023, amended the Rules for the storage, protection, use, and disclosure of bank secrets.
The changes are related to the introduction of automatic exchange of accounts information (CRS).
We will remind that last year Ukraine joined the Multilateral Competent Authorities Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Financial Information.
However, such accession of the State Tax Service to the CRS Multilateral Agreement was not in itself a sufficient condition for the introduction of automatic information exchange.
Therefore, the changes to the tax Code regarding the Reporting of bank accounts according to the CRS General Reporting Standard soon entered into force.
In this regard, changes were made to the Rules for the storage, protection, use, and disclosure of bank secrets.
Changes in paragraph 2, item 18, Chapter 3 of the Rules is set out in the following wording: ‘to the central executive body implementing the state tax policy – on the opening and closing of taxpayer accounts in accordance with Article 69 of the Tax Code, regarding the discovered facts of ownership by a natural (legal) person – resident of Ukraine a share in a foreign legal entity in accordance with Article 39 of the Tax Code, as well as in cases provided for by Article 39 of the Tax Code’.
This means that the requirements of items 7 – 14 Chapter 3 of the Rules do not apply, in particular, to the cases of banks providing information to the State Tax Service in the cases provided for in Art. 39 of the Tax Code.
Note that Art. 39 of the Tax Code contains provisions on the international automatic exchange of information and the submission of reports on accountable accounts.
The specified changes entered into force on September 6, 2023.
