Finance Ministry says will focus on fiscal service reform

Friday, May 13, 2016 - 12:40 (EEST) Section: Latest news

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry has named a reform of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, which incorporates tax and customs services, as its priority, and said it would soon publish the first results of certain anti-corruption measures taken as part of the fight against corruption in the government.
”There is no doubt that we need a tax administration reform and the fight against corruption. But it is impossible to wipe out corruption overnight. This requires a set of measures that involves deregulation, the establishment of anti-corruption institutions, the elimination of corruption-vulnerable areas. The process has already begun, and it is under way. I think we will see [the results] in the coming months. I am very optimistic in this sense. We will not see a new Ukraine without overcoming corruption,” said Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk at an annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.
UNIAN memo. The State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, which incorporates the tax and customs services, as well as the tax police, was formed on the basis of the Ministry of Revenue and Duties that had been liquidated in March 2014 after a new government led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk came to power. Chief of the State Fiscal Service is Roman Nasirov who previously chaired the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Taxation and Customs Policy.
Sources in the government say that the Cabinet prepares key staff reshuffles at the Sate Fiscal Service. Previously, Ukraine`s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman stated he was intending to proceed with the inspection of the customs offices across Ukraine, as well as analyze HR moves in customs` top management made before May 1. The prime minister announced technical re-equipment of customs checkpoints that would be equipped with scanners. Also, according to the head of government, specific software will be updated while the risk management system – enhanced.
In addition, Groysman reminded about the initiative in the near future to establish 20 mobile teams made up of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau staff, the border guards, police officers and the State Fiscal Service officials, to assess and verify the activity of customs offices.