President's representative: There is no place for politics when it comes to such important document as Tax Code

First Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, President’s Representative to the Cabinet of Ministers Iryna Akimova told journalists about her meeting with representatives of entrepreneurs protesting against adoption of the new Tax Code.

Iryna Akimova said that the Parliament of Ukraine is now working on the legal registration of the Tax Code. It is expected that it will be submitted to the President of Ukraine for analysis and decision making on signing or vetoing it on Friday evening, November 26.

Iryna Akimova told the reporters that because of the importance of this document, an expert group to make its analysis for the President has been formed long ago. It also includes representatives of international organizations.

"We understand that the Tax Code is very important in terms of Ukraine's commitments to international organizations, so we engaged international experts in the team," she said.

Iryna Akimova stressed that the expert group will start working on the document as soon as it is forwarded to the Presidential Administration. "We will work on Saturday and Sunday and will try to prepare an expert opinion on the Tax Code as soon as possible, by which the President will decide the future of this document," she said.

"As of today, the President has deep concerns about the document, which passed the vote in the Parliament with the amendments we have seen made to it at the session," Iryna Akimova said.

According to her, these concerns are related to one important question: does the Tax Code, passed in the Parliament, guarantee protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms? Is there a significant pressure on human liberties due to the "unrestrained" empowering of government agencies, such as the Tax Administration?

"This is why the expert group will be very attentive to all comments, including those having been received this week by the Presidential Administration, when preparing an expert opinion for the President. Preliminary conclusions of the expert group will be forwarded to the President on Saturday afternoon," Iryna Akimova said.

Referring to her today’s meeting with the entrepreneurs, Iryna Akimova stressed that they have had a very constructive dialogue. "One very right opinion was voiced, supported by all the participants of this round table: politicization of this important economic process is unacceptable. There is no place for politics, when it comes to such an important economic instrument, as Tax Code," Iryna Akimova said.

She said the businessmen also supported the opinion that timing of the Code adoption is not important. "Regardless of when the Code is adopted, the problems in administration of taxes, relations between taxpayers and tax inspectorate, etc. will remain. Because no document can be absolutely perfect and acceptable to all the parties "without any comments." These problems must be solved," Iryna Akimova said.

She also said the entrepreneurs agree that these problems cannot be resolved through "uncivilized actions or mere rallies." Therefore, it was decided to begin work on establishing a permanent institution that would serve as a round table for representatives of business and state authorities, providing them with the opportunity to discuss and solve pressing issues.