KYIV. Jan 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Cabinet of Ministers has approved license terms for business activities on transporting passengers, dangerous goods and hazardous waste by rail, aimed at improving the mechanism of work of rail carriers.
This is fixed in government decree No. 1168 of December 9, 2015.
The Infrastructure Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine that among the innovations of the document is the requirement for the appropriate qualification of the staff of a business entity (a licensee), i.e. railway education, work experience, etc., as well as the presence of those responsible for organizing carriage of passengers and dangerous goods.
In addition, the licensee must formalize employment relationship with the staff of railway transport through signing a collective or employment contract; its director and deputy heads should not have outstanding convictions for premeditated crimes.
In addition, there will be limited the issuance and cancellation of licenses issued to economic entities, whose activities are affected by the residents of states conducting an armed aggression against Ukraine and/or whose actions create conditions for a military conflict and use of military force against Ukraine.
KYIV. Jan 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The National Commission for Communications Regulation (NCCR) at the suggestion of the Ukrainian State Centre of Radio Frequencies has approved the reduction of tariffs for a number of services related to the use of radio frequency resource of Ukraine and the measurement of parameters of telecommunications networks by 14-40%.
According to a press release from the center, the decision was approved at a NCCR meeting on December 29, 2015.
Thus, this decision introduces coefficients to the relevant articles of the tariffs. For example, when determining payment for the calculation of electromagnetic compatibility of radio electronic means for digital cellular communications GSM-900, E-GSM, R-GSM, GSM-1800 within the implementation of the mode of frequency hopping, coefficient 0.6 will be applied to the tariff. The tariff is UAH 665 for each base station.
When determining payment for the calculation of electromagnetic compatibility of radio electronic means for digital cellular communications GSM-900, E-GSM, R-GSM, GSM-1800, CDMA-450, CDMA-800, CDMA-2000, coefficient 0.8 will be applied to the rate. The tariff is UAH 420 per nominal frequency in each sector of a base station.
KYIV. Jan 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom has raised a $35 million credit from state-run Ukrgasbank (Kyiv).
The company said on the public procurement website that the sides signed the agreement on December 21, 2015.
The cost of the credit line will be $13.125 million (value added tax not included), or 12.5% per annum. The credit line is opened for three years.
Alfa-Bank (Kyiv) with the offer worth $16.275 million took part in the tender.
Energoatom is the operator of all four Ukrainian-based operating nuclear power plants, which have 15 VVER reactors with an overall generating capacity of 13.835 gigawatts.
Ukrgasbank was created in 1993. The state held 94.9409% of shares in the bank as of October 2015. Ukrgasbank ranked 11th among 123 banks operating in the country on October 1, 2015 in terms of total assets (UAH 34.044 billion), according to the National Bank of Ukraine.
KYIV. Jan 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the updated procedure for electronic administration of value added tax (VAT).
According to cabinet resolution No. 1177 of December 30, 2015 the updated procedure was approved to meet the amendments to the Tax Code that took effect from January 1, 2016.
The government said that the electronic VAT administration procedure was updated to realize the mechanism for partial payment of VAT by agricultural companies that use the special taxation regime depending on the type of agricultural products they make.
The procedure settles the inclusion of the specific conditions for taxpayers who use cash taxation method into the electronic VAT administration system.
As reported, the Ukrainian parliament has approved a compromise on revoking the beneficial VAT taxation regime for farmers via granting the beneficial regime for the period until they transfer to the general taxation system.
In 2016 for the period when milk and meat producers transfer to the general taxation system 80% of VAT will be left for them and 20% will be sent to the budget.
Farmers working with grain and industrial crops will send 85% of VAT to the budget, and other farmers – 50%.
Since 2017, the VAT beneficial regime for farmers will be revoked.
KYIV. Jan 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Kuwait’s Al Maousherji Group and public joint-stock company Agrarian Fund would discuss the possibility for Ukrainian products to enter the Kuwaiti market, in particular, flour and fodder wheat.
The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry reported on its website that the agreement was reached at a meeting of representatives of the international cooperation department of Agrarian Fund and Al Maousherji Group Board Chairman Salah Maousherji on December 31, 2015.
The sides expressed their interest in stirring up cooperation in the agrarian and investment areas.
Agrarian Fund was founded by a government decree in spring 2013. Its charter capital is UAH 5 billion.
Al Maousherji Group is a group which among other things is involved in investment in agricultural property segment. It is also engaged in restaurant business, paper and package production, investment in property and management, publishing business in Kuwait and the Middle East.
KYIV. Jan 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Union (EU) jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) would provide a $5 million loan to a privately owned diversified agricultural producer Kischenzi LLC (Cherkasy region).
The EBRD said in a press release on Wednesday that the funds are provided under the EU-EBRD Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) small and medium sized businesses (SME) Direct Support Facility.
The loan will be covered by a first loss guarantee from the EU grant under the above the facility. The proceeds of the loan will be used to upgrade its fleet of combine harvesters and to acquire supplementary agricultural equipment like cultivators.
“The project will help Kischenzi strengthen its export potential and implement modern state-of-the-art farming technics and standards thus creating a successful benchmark for the industry in Ukraine,” the bank said.
The Facility being implemented by the EBRD and the EU supports increase of SMEs’ competitiveness, ease their access to finance, helps them with new trade opportunities and compliance with new food safety, technical and quality standards, as well as with environmental protection measures.
Kischenzi LLC operates a variety of businesses ranging from grains and vegetables growing to dairy and pig farming. Around 60% of its output is successfully exported to the European Union and other markets.
