Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, delivered a speech at the Congress hearings on the administration of local taxes and fees in communities. The event took place at the office of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine.
During a substantive discussion with representatives of local self-government and the executive branch, Oleksandr Korniienko outlined a key issue that requires resolution — the effective administration of local taxes.
“A step towards expanding the powers of communities in tax administration is overdue. The time for discussions on ‘whether this should be done’ is over; now we must focus on ‘how best to implement it’. It may be worth launching a pilot project for those cities that are already ready to take on this responsibility and are in fact performing this work within the existing legislation,” the First Deputy Speaker said.
He also drew attention to the challenges of administering the land tax at the local level and the difficulties of its accounting due to the current system of inter-district tax authorities. Separately, he stressed the need to strengthen the capacity of communities, the importance of human resources development in local self-government bodies, and preparing communities for European integration requirements, in particular in the field of tax administration and financial management.
In this context, the First Deputy Speaker highlighted the following important aspect:
European integration aspect. Europe is a space where control over the fair payment of taxes is ensured. For Ukraine, as a country aspiring to become a full member of the European Union, it is important to master financial discipline both at the central and local levels.
Human resources capacity. The transfer of powers will encourage communities to create new structural units and attract qualified finance specialists and accountants to executive committees. This is of strategic importance, as during the post-war recovery period a significant share of financial resources will come through direct relations between communities and Brussels, and effective local management will require strong and professional teams.
“For our part, in the Verkhovna Rada we will actively work on strengthening the capacity of communities and developing their human resources potential. Despite all challenges, the development and strengthening of community capacity remain a priority for us,” the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine summarised.
Parliamentarians, government officials, heads of regional military administrations, and representatives of communities joined the Congress hearings — in total nearly 1,800 participants.