State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has entered into a 5-year loan agreement with the Lviv City Council for UAH 840 million, of which UAH 718 million will be used to complete the construction of a waste processing plant.
According to the bank’s press release, the rest of the funds will be used to implement four more projects: the construction of an alternative bridge on Kovcha Street, the arrangement of two centers for veterans, and the reconstruction of the power supply system of the Pivnichna shopping center (CHP-2).
“Despite the fact that Oschadbank’s share in financing municipalities is more than 60% of the market, this loan agreement is the first in our cooperation with the Lviv City Council during a full-scale war. As a conscious bank that adheres to ESG principles, we are pleased to participate in the implementation of such an important environmental project for one of the most European cities in the country,” said Yuriy Katsiyon, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the state-owned bank in charge of corporate business, as quoted in a press release on Friday.
In turn, the Lviv City Council’s website states that the volume of construction work at the facility has reached 70%.
According to the release, once launched, the municipal waste recycling facility will be able to process more than 250 thousand tons of waste per year using mechanical and biological methods. This volume is expected to fully meet the city’s solid waste disposal needs.
The Oschad press service added that the Lviv Waste Recycling Plant construction project is also being implemented with the financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eastern European Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P). The waste processing plant covers an area of 9.66 hectares.
The Lviv City Council website specifies that UAH 46.2 million of the total amount of approved funding will be used to build an alternative bridge on Omelyana Kovcha Street, and the remaining UAH 75.8 million will be used to equip two centers for veterans and reconstruct the power supply system of the Pivnichna shopping center (CHP-2).
According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of November 1, 2024, Oschadbank ranked 2nd (UAH 340.77 billion) among 62 banks in the country in terms of total assets. The financial institution earned UAH 12.78 billion in net profit for 10 months of this year, compared to UAH 14.58 billion in the same period last year.
France has one of the most complex and multi-level taxation systems in place, covering both legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. Let us consider the main taxes applicable to these categories of taxpayers.
Taxes for legal entities
1) Corporate income tax (Impôt sur les Sociétés, IS):
Its standard rate is 25% on company profits. A reduced rate of 15% is possible and applies to the first 38,120 euros of profit for small and medium-sized enterprises with an annual turnover of less than 7.63 million euros.
Some companies can choose between being taxed under the income tax system (Impôt sur le Revenu, IR) or the corporate tax system (IS), depending on their legal form and capital structure.
2) Value added tax (Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée, TVA), its rates are also diversified. The standard rate is 20%, and the reduced rates are: 10%, 5.5% and 2.1% are applied to certain goods and services.
3) There is also a tax called the territorial economic contribution (Contribution Économique Territoriale, CET). It consists of two components – a tax on the value of commercial real estate (Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises, CFE) and a contribution to the value added of business (Cotisation sur la Valeur Ajoutée des Entreprises, CVAE). The rates depend on the location and turnover of the company; the maximum CVAE rate is 1.5% for companies with a turnover of more than EUR 50 million.
4) There is also a so-called vehicle tax (Taxe sur les Véhicules de Sociétés, TVS). It is levied on companies that use cars for commercial or business purposes. The rates depend on the type of vehicle, its age, and CO₂ emissions.
Taxes for individual entrepreneurs (IEs) are also quite complicated.
1) Income tax (Impôt sur le Revenu, IR) with a progressive scale from 0% to 45%, depending on annual income. The income of individual entrepreneurs is taxed on the same scale as the income of individuals. There are various taxation regimes for individual entrepreneurs, such as “micro-entrepreneur” with a simplified accounting and taxation system.
2) Social contributions – individual entrepreneurs are required to pay social and health insurance contributions, the amount of which depends on the type of activity and income level.
3) Value added tax (TVA). Individual entrepreneurs are required to register as VAT payers if their annual turnover exceeds certain thresholds, for example, for trade in goods it is 91,900 euros, and for the provision of services – 36,800 euros.
Like almost any other country in the world, there is a real estate tax (Taxe Foncière). It is levied on property owners, regardless of their residency status. The rates are determined by local authorities and depend on the cadastral value of the property.
There is also still a tax on residence (Taxe d’Habitation), which is levied on persons living in real estate as of January 1 of the reporting year. This tax is being gradually abolished for most households; the full transition is expected to be completed in the coming years.
The luxury tax or Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière (IFI) is levied on individuals whose real estate in France is valued at more than EUR 1.3 million. There is a progressive scale from 0.5% to 1.5% of the property value.
The French tax system is characterized by a high degree of progressivity and diversity of taxes, which requires careful planning and accounting when doing business. It is recommended to consult with professional tax advisors to ensure compliance with current legal requirements and optimize the tax burden.
http://relocation.com.ua/osoblyvosti-podatkovoi-systemy-frantsii-na-kinets-2024-roku-styslyj-analiz/
Since the beginning of this week, the demand for milling wheat has increased in the ports of Greater Odesa and Danube, APK-Inform news agency reported.
“The purchase prices for this crop were supported by the increased demand of importers to cover the positions under the previously concluded agreements, while the restrained supply also supported the prices. At the same time, the currency factor contributed to the increase in hryvnia wheat prices,” the analysts explained.
According to them, in the ports of Greater Odesa, the purchase prices for milling wheat increased by $1-2 per ton and as of December 26, 2024, were in the range of $208-215 per ton on CPT-port terms. At the same time, in the Danube ports, the increase in demand prices averaged $2 per ton and was recorded in the range of $209-215 per ton on CPT-port terms compared to the end of last week.
Hryvnia prices (CPT-port basis) increased by 50-150 UAH/ton and are mainly in the range of 9.9-10.3 thousand UAH/ton.
“The minimum and close to them prices were mainly declarative in nature and were close to the prices of feed wheat,” summarized APK-Inform.
The taxation system in the Netherlands is quite diverse. Let’s take a brief look at some of its features.
Taxes for legal entities are as follows.
1) Corporate income tax (CIT):
The rate ranges from 19% on profits up to EUR 200,000, to 25.8% on profits over EUR 200,000.
There are a number of peculiarities here, for example, resident companies are taxed on global income, while non-residents are taxed only on income from sources in the Netherlands. Under certain conditions, dividends and capital gains may be exempted from taxation under the substantial participation exemption.
2) Value added tax (VAT) ranges from the standard rate of 21% to a reduced rate of 9% (applicable to certain goods and services) and even to a zero rate of 0% (for exports and some specific cases). It is worth noting that businessmen are required to register as VAT payers and submit declarations on a quarterly basis.
3) Dividend tax, with a rate of 15%, is withheld when paying dividends to shareholders. The rate may be reduced or eliminated under international double taxation treaties.
4) Capital gains tax – gains from the sale of capital assets are usually included in the taxable base and taxed at standard corporate tax rates.
5) Social security contributions for employees should not be forgotten. Employers are obliged to withhold and remit social security and healthcare contributions for all their employees.
In the Netherlands, the taxation system allows you to register as a private entrepreneur. In this case, the businessman will have income tax obligations, the rate of which is 9.32% for income up to 38,098 euros (including the national insurance contribution of 27.65%, the total rate is 36.97%), 36.97% for income from 38,098 to 75,518 euros, and income over 75,518 euros per year is taxed at a rate of 49.50%.
Individual entrepreneurs are also required to pay social security and healthcare contributions, the amount of which depends on their income. Sole proprietorships are required to register as VAT payers and file quarterly tax returns, similar to legal entities.
There is also a real estate tax, with property owners paying an annual tax, the amount of which depends on the cadastral value and is set by local authorities.
The inheritance and gift tax applies to recipients of inheritance or gift, with rates depending on the degree of kinship and the value of the property received.
In general, the Dutch tax system is characterized by progressive rates and a variety of taxes, which requires a careful approach to tax planning. It is recommended to consult with professional tax advisors on a regular basis to ensure compliance with the current legal requirements.
http://relocation.com.ua/osoblyvosti-podatkovoi-systemy-niderlandiv-korotkyj-analiz/
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering providing EUR 400 million in financing for a pilot project to build social housing in Ukraine, the press service of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) reports.
“Negotiations are currently underway to provide EUR 400 million in funding, which will consist of a grant and a loan for the construction of public housing. This should be housing in normally built-up parts of the city, with access to technical and social infrastructure,” said Grzegorz Gajda, Senior Sector Economist at the EIB, as quoted in the press release.
He noted that the housing should be built using the best European practices, in accordance with energy-efficient standards and the principle of build-back-better.
The project envisages the construction of about 6-6.5 thousand apartments. The EIB will select areas for social housing construction based on the needs of the regions and their interest in cooperation.
Along with this, the conditions for renting housing are being discussed. In particular, it is proposed to allocate social housing to employed Ukrainians with a salary not lower than the average, as well as to give local authorities the opportunity to transfer 20-30% of apartments for rent to people selected according to their own criteria, taking into account the professionals needed in the region.
According to the expert, the project also envisages finding opportunities for the social housing sector to independently finance its operations and maintenance to avoid the need for state funding for housing maintenance.
As the IER points out, at the beginning of 2022, there were only 3 thousand social apartments in Ukraine, while the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of the year amounted to more than 5 million people. According to the International Organization for Migration, there are about 3.6 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine as of October 2024.
As of December 27, Ukraine exported 21.256 mln tonnes of grains and pulses since the beginning of the 2024-2025 marketing year (July-2024 – June-2025), of which 2.882 mln tonnes have been shipped since the beginning of the current month, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported, citing the State Customs Service.
According to the report, as of the same date last year, the total shipments amounted to 17.484 million tons, including 4.387 million tons in December.
In particular, since the beginning of the current season, Ukraine has exported 9.613 mln tonnes of wheat (7.255 mln tonnes in 2023/24 MY), 1.968 mln tonnes of barley (991 thsd tonnes), 10.8 thsd tonnes of rye (1 thsd tonnes), and 9.351 mln tonnes of corn (9.097 mln tonnes).
The total exports of Ukrainian flour since the beginning of the season as of December 27 are estimated at 37 thsd tonnes (in 2023/24 MY – 57 thsd tonnes), including 33.9 thsd tonnes of wheat (54.2 thsd tonnes).
