Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Refusal of the Parliament to vote for key reform package dealt a serious blow to the basis of economic development for 2015

Yesterday, the Parliament failed to vote for the key governmental reform package that the Cabinet of Ministers has elaborated for three months: "Everything that has been designed for months, remained unaddressed and, first of all, it dealt a serious blow to the basis of economic development for 2015," emphasized Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Government’s meeting on Wednesday, September 17.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that the Government submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a package of economic, social and budgetary reforms. However, according to him, a part of the Parliament, “and even some Democrats, refused to include these laws in the agenda".

"Yesterday, through the behaviour of members of the Parliament of Ukraine, the Ukrainian citizens were denied a twofold reduction of single tax for small businesses, a reduction of single social tax from 41 to 15%, shortening the number of taxes from 22 to 9. The Ukrainians were denied to have a new system of payment of income tax, when it is paid not under the dictation of the tax administration, but as it is written in international accounting standards. The Ukrainian citizens were denied empowering local communities to obtain financial resources and introducing local taxes and fees", - stressed the Head of Government.

“Due to yesterday’s misconduct, pre-election political hysteria of the Ukrainian Parliament, we cannot submit the law on the state budget", - he stressed.

The PM has informed that the Cabinet of Ministers will re-introduce these bills in Parliament.

He views as being unacceptable the position of Parliament related to anti-corruption bills as well. Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that the Government had elaborated a package of anti-corruption laws, which provides for the establishment of National Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate corruptive actions of senior officials and suggests national anti-corruption strategy “that defines a completely new policy to combat corruption within the country." Moreover, the anti-corruption package contains a bill on the disclosure of information about resident and non-resident owners of the companies doing business in Ukraine.