President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Verkhovna Rada should immediately abolish the value added tax and excise tax on fuel.
He noted that the Cabinet of Ministers has already taken several very important decisions. In particular, the complete abolition of value added tax and excise tax on fuel (gasoline and diesel) was agreed upon.
According to the head of state, this is being done not only in the context of the upcoming sowing campaign, but also based on the needs of all citizens.
“So that there is no shortage of fuel in the country and prices are stable. The government has done its part of the work. Now it is up to the MPs. They must immediately support this decision with their vote,” Zelensky said in a video message on Saturday.
The United States bans the supply of luxury goods to Russia, complicates the purchase of expensive goods for oligarchs in the country, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday.
Referring to the measures against representatives of major Russian businesses, Biden said the U.S. Administration is also going to make it harder to buy luxury goods in the United States for Russians.
“We’re banning export of luxury goods to Russia,” the U.S. president said.
He also said that new names of billionaires from Russia and their families will be included to the U.S. sanctions lists.
In addition, this decision also applies to Belarus. The U.S. Department of Commerce released a statement saying that its Bureau of Industry and Security has imposed restrictions on the export, reexport and transfer (in country) of luxury goods to all end users in Russia and Belarus, as well as to certain “Russian and Belarusian oligarchs.”
This decision is expected to come into force on March 11.
The U.S. Senate has approved a federal government funding bill for fiscal year 2022, which includes military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as the allocation of funds for the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The current funding period for government activities ends on March 11.
A $1.5 trillion financial package provides for $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine, with about half of this amount going to humanitarian aid and supporting the country’s economy, and the rest to the defense needs of Ukraine and U.S. allies on the “eastern NATO flank.”
The bill also determines the amount of U.S. spending on defense and other items of expenditure in fiscal year 2022.
Thus, it provides for the allocation of $730 billion to finance non-defense projects, which is $46 billion more than in fiscal 2021 and is the highest figure in four years. Defense spending is $782 billion, up $42 billion from a year earlier.
It is proposed to allocate $15.6 billion to fight the coronavirus pandemic both in the United States and in other countries of the world. Among the measures is preparation for the possible emergence of new strains of coronavirus and another jump in the number of infections.
The Australian authorities have decided to soon impose a ban on the import of oil, gas, coal and oil products from Russia, The Guardian reports on Friday, citing a representative of the Australian Foreign Ministry.
“This decision does not threaten Australia’s energy security. Australia has diversified and sustainable oil supply chains and adequate oil reserves thanks to the government’s comprehensive energy security policy,” he said.
The ban will take effect no earlier than in 45 days. In this regard, the representative of the ministry specified for The Guardian, ships carrying already paid energy carriers from the Russian Federation will be able to arrive for shipment in Australian ports.
He noted that Australia does not import these goods from Russia in significant volumes. At the same time, the diplomat expressed the opinion that since energy resources are the largest source of export earnings to the Russian Federation, restrictions on their acquisition by Australia and its allies will reduce Moscow’s ability to operate in Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a decree banning the import of oil, oil products, as well as liquefied natural gas and coal from Russia, which led to another jump in prices on the global energy market.
The British authorities also announced their intention to stop buying Russian oil within the next few months.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times said that the U.S. authorities are actively looking for new energy supplies after the refusal to import Russian oil, trying to prevent further growth in fuel prices at American gas stations.
Subscribers of Kyivstar mobile operator will receive UAH 250 bonus in nine countries – Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, Hungary, as well as in Germany, Italy, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, to communicate with their relatives, the company’s press service reported on Friday.
“If a subscriber arrives in one of the indicated countries, then during the day he is automatically credited with bonus funds and is given the opportunity to use special tariffs throughout Europe: 1 Mb of Internet costs UAH 0.10; one minute of an incoming call or an outgoing call within the host country or to Ukraine – 1 UAH; 1 SMS – 1 UAH,” the message says.
So, at the expense of bonuses, Kyivstar subscribers receive 250 minutes for calls, 250 SMS, 2500 MB of mobile Internet, without paying for these services on their own. Bonuses will be valid for 30 days.
Over 200 enterprises have applied for assistance in evacuating to the west of Ukraine, some are already in the process of moving, member of parliament and head of the committee on finance, taxation and customs policy (the Servant of the People faction) Danylo Hetmantsev has said.
“As of March 10, there are over 200 applications. There are enterprises that are already in the process of moving,” he wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.
The parliamentarian clarified that the appeals come from representatives of the food, woodworking, textile, fuel chemical industries, medicine and mechanical engineering.
