The European Business Association (EBA) has asked Head of the Verkhovna Rada committee for transport and infrastructure Yuriy Kysyl to support a bill proposing new legislation for the taxi market, the press service of the EBA said on Friday. “The adoption of a new model for regulating the taxi market is a significant step in introducing European standards into the life of Ukrainians. We hope that the new law on taxis will allow us to remove transportation from the shadows, get rid of outdated regulations and instead introduce clear and equal rules of the game for market players. For the first time, Ukraine has approached the reform of the taxi services market in such a comprehensive and professional manner that it is undoubtedly a positive signal,” the press service said, citing Advocacy Team Leader at the EBA Igor Gotsyk.
According to the report, the bill proposes the cancellation of obtaining a license for the domestic transportation of passengers by taxi, while at the same time the obligation is introduced to notify the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety, which also provides the functions of the public register of road carriers.
In addition, according to the document, an individual road carrier is not required to register as private entrepreneur. He also does not need to draw up a contract on transportation for each service in paper. He can only draw up a contract in electronic form.
“Given the thoroughness of the above-mentioned provisions and the importance of their adoption in order to increase the transparency of operations by carriers who operate road passenger transport services, we expect fruitful cooperation and hope that the bill will be adopted this autumn,” the EBA said.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has ratified a protocol on Amendments to the Convention between the Government of Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey for avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and real estate.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that a total of 320 MPs backed bill No. 0005 on ratification of the amendments on Wednesday.
According to the conclusion of the foreign policy committee, the changes relate, in particular, to the procedure for taxation of income received by residents of the state, which is party in the treaty, from the disposal of shares or other rights; the procedure for taxation of remuneration received in connection with employment on a ship, aircraft, or other transport operated by an enterprise of the state, which is party in the treaty. The changes will also concern the exchange of information.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine calls on the Verkhovna Rada to provide internally displaced persons (IDPs) with the opportunity to vote in the upcoming local elections. The UNHR urges parliament to take steps to provide IDPs and labor migrants with the opportunity to vote in local elections scheduled for 2020, mission head Matilda Bogner said at a press conference, presenting “Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine 16 May to 15 August 2019” in Kyiv on Tuesday.
She noted that the Monitoring Mission would monitor developments around the Electoral Code, which President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky vetoed, giving Parliament 30 days to amend the document.
Bogner emphasized the need to solve the problem of paying pensions to residents of temporarily uncontrolled territories of Donbas. She said pensions should be paid to everyone who is entitled to them, regardless of their place of residence, adding this is an urgent recommendation, hoping that the new government will consider it one of the priorities.
In addition, the Mission notes that it is necessary to find a mechanism for paying off pension arrears.
At the same time, the UN Mission considers the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to compensate families whose homes were destroyed as a result of the conflict in Donbas a positive sign. However, it has concerns about a number of issues, in particular, the condition that applicants for compensation should live in the same village where the destroyed housing is located, as well as the fact that funds for these needs will be provided for in the budget after 2020.
As reported, on July 15, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established a mechanism for monetary compensation for private housing destroyed as a result of Russian armed aggression in eastern Ukraine.
The Verkhovna Rada has adopted as a basis and as a whole bill No. 1082 on the joint transit regime and the introduction of a national electronic transit system, which provides for a mechanism for the exchange of customs information with 35 countries.
According to a correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, 333 MPs supported draft law No. 1082 at a plenary meeting on September 12 with the quorum being 226 votes.
“This system provides that our customs will see the entire history of movement of goods that is in those countries and transfer its data to them. The bill provides for the functioning of this system in a test mode for about a year. Then it will be tested by our European partners, and after that we will join an agreement on joint transit,” Danylo Hetmantsev, the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, taxation and customs policy, has said.
Head of the State Customs Service Maksym Nefyodov, in turn, said that “this is a simple beautiful story of customs visa-free travel that will allow Ukrainian players to leave Ukraine and travel to Portugal with one truck with one document, with one guarantee.”
In his opinion, it will make Ukrainian goods cheaper for Ukrainian consumers.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has voted in favor of bill No. 7203 amending Article 80 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which envisages lifting parliamentary immunity from 2020. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that 373 MPs backed the decision at a plenary session of parliament on Tuesday. It requires at least 300 for the final approval of the constitutional changes, according to the law.
The Verkhovna Rada has approved the schedule of the second session of the 9th convocation. Some 278 deputies voted for corresponding draft resolution (No. 1087) at a plenary meeting.
“This project proposes to start the second session of the IX convocation on September 3 and finish its work on January 24, 2020,” said Serhiy Kalchenko, a representative of the parliament’s committee on regulatory issues, introducing the draft resolution.
According to him, the schedule provides for 10 plenary weeks, six weeks of work in committees, commissions, parliamentary factions, and five weeks for working with voters, as well as eight hours of questions for the government.
According to the constitution, the next session of the Verkhovna Rada opens on the first Tuesday of September.
