Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is launching flights from Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) to Ras al-Khaimah (the United Arab Emirates) from June 25, 2021, the airline’s press service said on Monday.
“UIA will become the first Ukrainian airline to operate direct flights to Ras al-Khaimah and one of the main strategic aviation partners for the Emirate, which is currently developing dynamically,” the UIA said.
The airline said that it will take five hours to fly from Kyiv to Ras al-Khaimah international airport. Upon arrival, all tourists undergo mandatory PCR testing at the airport. In addition, they can also undergo free PCR testing before returning to Ukraine.
According to UIA, Ras al-Khaimah received safety certifications from the world leader in the inspection and certification services Bureau Veritas, as well as from the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC).
“Ukraine is a fast growing and important market for the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, and our partnership with Ukraine International Airlines is another step in the strategy of increasing tourist flow through introducing direct flights… This is a key step in the restoration of international tourism on our broad strategy of exploring new routes through main, secondary and emerging markets thanks to charter and scheduled flights,” CEO at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Raki Phillips was quoted as saying.
In turn, UIA CEO Yevhen Dykhne said that the airline plans to increase the frequency of flights to Ras al-Khaimah, given the expected high demand, especially in summer.
UAE, UIA, UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade (ICMT) decided to introduce final anti-dumping duties on imports to Ukraine of swing-out mechanisms for window and balcony door units originating from Turkey for a period of five years in the amount of 30.78% for two manufacturers and 35.1% – for everyone else.
The ICMT made a corresponding decision at a meeting on April 23, the duties will come into force 30 days after the publication of the decision, the Uriadovy Kurier nrewspaper said on Thursday.
The Commission initiated an investigation into window and door fittings from Turkey in February last year at the initiative of Axor Industry LLC, a reduced duty of 30.8% will be applied to Ileri Pencere Kapi Sistemleri Sanayi and Ileri Pencere Kapi Sistemleri Sanayi.
According to the document, the deliveries of products were studied in 2017-2019, and they were investigated for 2019. During the study, the applicant’s sales volumes in the domestic market decreased by 12.9%, and their profitability – by 47.1%.
“There is a likelihood of a significant increase in dumping imports of goods originating from the Republic of Turkey, which threatens to cause significant harm to the national producer. Dumping imports of goods to Ukraine (…) were carried out at prices that were lower than the sale prices and the cost of such goods of the national producer in the domestic market of Ukraine,” the publication says.
More precise name of the taxable product sounds like “fasteners, fittings and similar products (except for window and/or balcony door handles with a key and/or without a key), of base metals for use in windows and/or balcony door blocks with a pivot and a swing-out mortar, classified according to UKTZED code 8302 41 50 10 made in the Republic of Turkey.”
According to the State Statistics Service, imports of fittings under the broader code 8302 41 50 from Turkey in January-March 2021 amounted to 0.760 tonnes for $2.01 million, while there was no export to this country. In general, during the specified period, Ukraine imported such goods for $5.89 million, exported – for $3.91 million.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) equaled 77.2 in April, which was 9.4 points higher than in March (the values of indices can vary from 0 to 200), according to the survey conducted by Info Sapiens.
“The positive trend of consumer confidence corresponds to the improvement of the business expectations… It is also important to note that the positive dynamics may be enhanced by changing the survey method: in April, due to the lockdown the survey was conducted by telephone, but this method attracts a bigger share of wealthy population compared to face-to-face interviews,” Info Sapiens said on its website on Wednesday.
According to the survey, Index of the Current Situation (ICS) have not changed significantly and equals 60.0, which is 1.1 p. higher than in March. The components of this index have changed as follows: Index of Current Personal Financial Standing equals 55.3, which is 0.6 points higher than the indicator in March; Index of Propensity to Consume increased by 1.7 p. to the level 64.8.
In April, Index of Economic Expectations (ІЕE) have increased and equals 88.6. The components of this index have changed as follows: Index of Expected Changes in Personal Financial Standing equals 92.2 which is 13.0 points higher that the level of this indicator in March; Index of Expectations of the Country’s Economic Development Over the Next Year equals 71.0 which is 10.5 points higher that the level of this indicator in March; Index of Expectations of the Country’s Economic Development over the Next 5 Years increased by 21.0 points compared to last month and equals 102.5.
In April, the indicator of Index of Expectations of Changes in Unemployment is stable on the level of 148.6. Index of Inflationary Expectations slightly decreased and equals 185.1.
Expectations of Ukrainians regarding the hryvna’s exchange rate in the coming three months have worsened: Index of Devaluation Expectations increased by 10.9 p. and equals 145.3.
The Verkhovna Rada intends to reduce the rate of excise tax on beer to UAH 1.39 per liter from UAH 2.78 per liter for producers whose annual production volume does not exceed 200,000 hectoliters, as well as introduce the term “small beer producers.”
At a plenary session of parliament last week 284 MPs with the required minimum of 226 votes backed bill backed at first reading No. 5118 on amendments to Article 215 of the Tax Code of Ukraine.
According to an explanatory note to the document, there are 204 breweries in Ukraine with an annual production volume of up to 3,000 hectoliters, which pay UAH 30,000 per year for a wholesale beer trade license, and 28 breweries with a production volume of up to 200,000 hectoliters (for their annual license is UAH 500,000).
These companies account for 13% of the beer market in Ukraine, while the remaining 87% is divided among nine large beer producers. According to the document, the total tax burden per 1 liter of beer produced by small producers is significantly higher than the same indicator at the enterprises of the beer giants.
In addition, the authors of the bill said that all small beer producers are under significant regulatory and financial pressure, since they pay other tax payments along with the excise tax. In this regard, the reduction in the excise tax rate is proposed.
The bill will determine the entities of applying the reduced rate by introducing the term “independent small brewery” – an enterprise legally and economically independent from any other brewery, geographically located separately from other breweries.
According to the explanatory note, the bill brings the tax legislation of Ukraine closer to the EU legislation, complies with the EU Council Directive 92/83/EEC on the harmonization of the structures of excise duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages dated October 19, 1992.
As expected, the implementation of bill No. 5118 will result in a decrease in annual budget revenues by UAH 328.3 million due to a decrease in excise tax rates on beer. At the same time, in the long term, due to the expected growth in beer production by about 20 million liters, the budget will be significantly replenished with tax receipts in the form of excise tax, single social security contribution, personal income tax, etc.
Within the framework of large and small privatization for May-June 2021, more than 100 auctions are planned in Ukraine, said Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
“At the end of April this year, President Volodymyr Zelensky unlocked large privatization in Ukraine. This is without exaggeration a historic event. Firstly, it will give new life to unprofitable property, and secondly, it will attract billions of dollars in investments. It’s time to turn unprofitable ballast into profit for the Ukrainian budget,” he wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
Tymoshenko said that privatization is now a separate topic of conference calls in the President’s Office.
The next meeting was held on Monday, May 17, with the participation of representatives of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) and regional state administrations.
“The key thing in our joint work is that large and small privatization in Ukraine is transparent. For the first time in the history of Ukraine, there is a political will for this. The process is already irreversible,” the deputy head of the President’s Office wrote.
He recalled that in 2020 the SPF planned to receive UAH 400 million from privatization. Despite the quarantine, the real income was several times higher – UAH 2.5 billion.
Tymoshenko is convinced that large and small privatization in 2021 opens the way for even larger investments.
At the same time, according to him, the competition is growing. In April 2020, the average number of participants in the auction was 3.67, in April 2021 it was already 4.57.
Ukraine in 2020 climbed from 80th to 63rd place in the Social Progress Index among 163 countries with score of 73.38 points versus 66.97 in 2019, according to the index data.
“It is important that in the year of the pandemic, Ukraine improved its position in this global ranking. This means that at least part of the challenges we responded correctly,” Minister of Social Policy Maryna Lazebna told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the study, the average score of the index among all studied countries is 64.24 points. Last year, the group of countries with a very high standard of living and a moderately high quality of life narrowed from 104 to 71.
“I would also like to note that among 15 countries with a similar level of GDP per capita in terms of purchasing power parity, Ukraine ranked fifth in terms of this index,” Lazebna said.
In addition, the minister noted the high assessment of Ukraine in the areas of equal access for women and men to basic knowledge, protection of property rights for women, equality of political power by gender.
“Also, Ukraine has demonstrated high rates of vulnerable employment, secondary school attainment, availability of affordable mobile telephone subscriptions, access to electricity,” the head of the Ministry of Social Policy said.
However, Ukraine showed significantly worse results in comparison with other countries in terms of life expectancy at 60 years (117th place among 163 countries), and also lags behind in a number of other indicators.
“According to the results given by the authors of the index, Ukraine has high inequality of political power by socioeconomic position, corruption, high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, large number of outdoor air pollution attributable deaths, high number of premature deaths from non-communicable diseases,” Lazebna said.
The Social Progress Index (SPI) measures the extent to which countries provide for the social and environmental needs of its citizens. Fifty-four indicators in the areas of basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity to progress shows the relative performance of nations. Under the technical guidance of Professors Michael Porter from Harvard Business School and Scott Stern from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the group formed a U.S.-based nonprofit called the Social Progress Imperative and launched the Social Progress Index for 50 countries in 2013.
