Ukrainian deputy urges allies to impose taxes on Russian imports for country’s reconstruction
Ukraine plans to create a fund to gather various reparation sources and ensure compensation payments for its citizens.
Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee on Legal Policy Denis Maslov said Ukrainian allies should consider imposing a special tax on the import of Russian or Russia-related goods, including oil, and use revenues generated from this duty to help Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to UkrInform.
In 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia’s war inflicted $499 billion in economic, social, and other losses on Ukraine as of the end of 2023.
Maslov, who is a member of the working group on the establishment of a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Russia, said that import duties could be transferred to the Ukrainian Register of Losses, which is part of the international compensation mechanism for damages caused by Russian military aggression.
The official proposed that the next crucial step to restore justice for Ukraine would be the establishment of a compensation commission. A task of the commission would be reviewing claims by Ukrainian citizens and determining appropriate compensation amounts for them.
After that Ukraine expects to set up a fund that will gather various reparation sources and ensure compensation payments.
“Undoubtedly, the criminal must pay for losses Ukraine and its citizens have suffered. In this case, it is not only about the responsibility of Russian officials but also about the responsibility of the country,” emphasized the official.
Maslov reminded that, according to various estimates, Russia’s frozen assets amount to approximately €300 billion. However, even if Ukraine receives these assets, there is a possibility they will be spent on the country’s defenses. Currently, the amount of seized assets is still not enought to cover all the losses inflicted by Russia’s war.
“We insist that all these finances be transferred to Ukraine and directed for compensation purposes. Nevertheless, it should be clear that Ukraine needs these funds for other significant purposes. There is a possibility that part or even all of the funding will be allocated for defense needs,” noted the committee chairman.
On April 2, the International Register of Losses began working in The Hague. The country expects eight million applications from Ukrainians who suffered from the Russian aggression.
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