KYIV. Sept 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The authorities of Cherkasy region have cut the amount of time required to register a business to 24 hours and also cut the tax rate for commercial property to 0.5% of the minimum wage per square meter, and in some districts of the region – to 0.2%, Head of Cherkasy Regional Administration Yuriy Tkachenko said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.
“Tax on commercial property in Cherkasy is 0.5% per square meter. If we compare this with Odesa and Kharkiv regions, of course, they [the taxes] are four and even more times larger,” Tkachenko.
He said that the Cherkassy authorities liquidated the land commission in the regional administration which would discuss documents submitted by applicants over one month, and that now, the agro-industrial development department and the regional department of the state service for geodesy, mapmaking and cadastre considers applications within ten days. Tkachenko said that Cherkasy region has become the first region where extracts from the state service for geodesy, mapmaking and cadastre on land parcels can be received remotely.
Tkachenko said that on September 18, the Cherkasy Investment Forum will be held in Kyiv with the participation of leading companies, where the region will offer attractive land parcels and property to investors.
He said that the region is especially interested in foreign investors. Their share of total capital investment in the development of the region is small – only UAH 7.4 million out of over UAH 4 billion in 2015.
Tkachenko also spoke about the investment projects which are being introduced. Saturn household appliances producer plans to produce household appliances for vulnerable parts of the population.
Among the other projects which are being run with foreign investment is a project to produce brown coal being realized by Energy Investment Company LLC since 2014 and the signing of a memorandum with China’s Runh Power Corp. on the construction of a power plant.
He said that two investors from the United Arab Emirates invest fund are developing solar energy in the region, and a project on the construction of an elevator on the Dnipro River is being realized jointly with a French company.
The governor said that representatives of the region are working on attracting investors in the creation of imports-replacing production facilities and on defining production of dehydrated potato powder, household chemicals and personal-care products as top-priority directions.
Tkachenko said that over 10 companies from Donetsk and Luhansk regions have started producing goods in vacant facilities of Soviet enterprises in Cherkasy region (Orion, etc).
Board Chairman of APK Mais Serhiy Tereschuk said at the press conference that Cherkasy region has all the conditions to develop its agrarian industry: skilled staff, good soil, climate, waterways, and favorable geographical location and logistics advantages. He also said that a favorable investment environment is being created: authorities, business and community of the region have united as a part of decentralization.
Leader of the movement ‘For Prosperous Cherkasy Region’ Natalia Netovkina said that the nut, apple and honey production cluster is a top-priority for the region. It is planned to create cooperatives, including by Anti-Terrorist Operation solders, who receive 1.5-2 hectares from rural councils.
Tkachenko said that authorities and business are implementing a partner project on developing tourism in the region, in particular, in towns of Kaniv, Chyhyryn and Uman.
