The Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday adopted law No. 7737 that brings the Customs Tariff of Ukraine in line with the requirements of the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System in the 2022 version.
According to information on the website of the parliament, 289 MPs voted “for” with the required minimum of 226 votes.
The head of the Rada committee on the fuel and energy complex, Andriy Herus, proposed exempting from customs duties the import of equipment by companies engaged in the transportation, production and distribution of gas and electricity as humanitarian aid, but was not supported.
Hanna Kolesnyk, who represented the position of the committee, pointed out that the list of goods proposed by Herus is too broad and needs to be revised, that exemption from import duties is provided by the Customs Code and does not relate to the regulation of the Customs Tariff, while the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy are against supporting this proposal.
As the Ministry of Economy explained earlier, the current Customs Tariff of Ukraine is based on the international system of the 2017 version, while most countries of the world (China, the USA, the EU, Turkey, Switzerland) have already switched to the 2022 version. In this regard, there are a number of complications associated with differences in commodity codes in the customs clearance of imported products or when comparing the customs statistics of Ukraine and trading partners.
The ministry clarified that the law introduces more than 350 changes to commodity codes, mainly in relation to agricultural, chemical, forestry goods, textiles, non-ferrous metals, engineering, transport, etc.
It was emphasized that the new customs tariff does not provide for changes in the rates of import duty on goods.
Foreign trade turnover by most important positions in Jan-Aug 2022 (export)
SSC of Ukraine , graphics of the Club of Experts
The negative balance of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January-August 2022 increased by 2.9 times compared to the same period in 2021 – to $5.421 billion from $1.895 billion, the State Statistics Service (Gosstat) reported on Thursday.
According to its data, the export of goods from Ukraine for the reporting period compared with January-August 2021 decreased by 30.8% – to $28.946 billion, imports – by 21.4%, to $34.367 billion.
The State Statistics Service clarifies that in August this year, compared to July 2022, the seasonally adjusted volume of exports increased by 0.1%, to $3.137 billion, and imports, by 1.3%, to $4.504 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in August 2022 was negative and amounted to $1.367 billion, while in July 2022 it was also negative and amounted to $1.314 billion.
The State Statistics Service specified that foreign trade operations were carried out with partners from 227 countries of the world.
The negative balance of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in September amounted to $354 million, which is three times less than in August ($1,052.6 million), said Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade Representative of Ukraine.
“Export – $ 4.144 billion, 23% more than in August. Export volume – 9.66 million tons, 32% more than in August,” he wrote on Facebook.
According to the data presented by him, imports in September increased only by 1.9%, to $4.498 billion.
“September exports are more than $4 billion and more than 9 million tons for the first time since February 24,” the trade representative emphasized.
Kachka also pointed out that in September, exports of agro-industrial complex and food industry reached 6.928 million tons against 4.566 million tons in August and 2.985 million tons in July. This was the result of an increase in shipments by sea – from 1.436 million in July to 2.723 million tons in August and 5.175 million tons in September.
Export by railway transport in September decreased to 902.2 thousand tons compared to 970.5 thousand tons in August and 886.5 thousand tons in July, by road – to 849.6 thousand tons in September from 872 .4 thousand tons in August and 662.4 thousand tons in July.
Foreign trade turnover by the most important positions Jan-May 2022 (import)
SSC of Ukraine
Foreign trade turnover by the most important positions in Jan-May 2022 (export)
SSC of Ukraine
