The first container train on the China-Kazakhstan-Russia-Belarus-Ukraine new route, which delivered 41 containers with refrigeration equipment, has arrived in Ukraine.
The press service of Ukrzaliznytsia said on Thursday morning that the train had been on the way for 19 days.
Work is underway on the frequency of the train running once a week. “If there is sufficient cargo, the frequency of running will be increased and the train will run according to a clear schedule,” the press service said.
Work on the route’s capacity filling continues, “especially in the direction of receiving subsidies from China for cargo, so that the conditions of cargo transportation are economically attractive for carriers.”
In addition, Ukrzaliznytsia is developing an online service to enable customers to order a container seat on a train and pay for the service online, similar to purchasing tickets for passenger trains.
Ukrzaliznytsia recalled that direct container trains from China to Ukraine began to run on the territory of four countries from June 8, 2020. During this time, 13 trains have already arrived.
Container traffic accounts for 2.3% of the total volume of cargo transportation by rail in Ukraine. Currently, 36 container trains organized by Ukrzaliznytsia run on a regular basis across Ukraine.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 22/10/20
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of October 22
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
Retail turnover in Ukraine increased by 11.6% in September 2020 as compared to the same month in 2019 in comparable prices, while in the previous month it grew by 8.7%, the State Statistics Service said on Wednesday, October 21.
According to its data, retail turnover decreased by 0.7% in September as compared to August 2020.
Retail turnover increased by 6.7% in January-September 2020 compared to the same period last year.
The largest increase in retail turnover of enterprises (legal entities and individual entrepreneurs) in the nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 was registered in Kyiv (by 16.6%), Zaporizhia (by 14.1%), Chernihiv (by 12.4%), Volyn (by 12.3%), Kirovohrad (by 11.3%), Dnipropetrovsk (by 8.8%), Poltava (8.6%) and Khmelnytsky (8.4%) regions, as well as in Kyiv (7.7%).
The State Statistics Service reminds that the data is given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, and part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
A group of MPs has registered bill No. 4245 with amendments to the Budget Code on the electronic residency mechanism, which implies a preferential income tax rate of 5%, in the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the information on the parliamentary website, the bill was registered on October 21 by MPs from the Holos faction Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Volodymyr Tsabal, Kira Rudik and Halyna Vasylchenko, as well as MP from the Servant of the People Danylo Hetmantsev.
“The idea is simple. If you are an IT specialist from India, China, Pakistan, Germany, or even Belarus, then, being in your country, you can become an electronic resident, that is, an electronic taxpayer. And for this you will pay only one simple tax – 5%, which our sole proprietors pay from turnover,” Zhelezniak said.
According to him, this mechanism may be of interest, in particular, to citizens of Asian countries. On the other hand, this will allow attracting additional funds to the national budget, he said.
“This proposal may not be so interesting to the United States or the EU, but it will definitely be interesting to other countries, especially Asia, the East, which have not a better reputation and more complex tax legislation compared to the Ukrainian one,” Zhelezniak said.
Dozens of Belarusian IT companies have already moved to Ukraine thanks to the IT Relocate Belarus project, which is being implemented by the team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Oleksandr Borniakov has said.
“We have created IT Relocate for those who want to relocate themselves or move their team from Belarus to Ukraine, and are ready to provide support in the future. As the AIN.UA source said, Wargaming has moved hundreds of employees to Ukraine. The company is the developer of the world famous online games World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Warplanes,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
According to him, another Belarusian IT company, PandaDoc, is opening its office in Kyiv. Founder Nikita Mikado notes the talents of Ukrainian specialists, favorable tax conditions and the actions of the Ukrainian government in supporting the IT industry in Belarus.
“Ukraine is rapidly digitalizing, becoming a global IT hub and creating comfortable conditions for the development of the IT industry. Ukraine is ready to provide Belarusian specialists with opportunities to work on a simplified registration system,” Borniakov said.
The IT Relocate Belarus project offers 90 days of continuous stay for 180 days without obtaining a visa, an average salary of $2,000, 4G in all major cities, more than 5,600 service and technology companies, affordable housing and office rent.
