Business is grateful to the Parliament for rejecting the amendment that would have caused damage to legal business in the excisable goods market

26/ 02/ 2024

The European Business Association is pleased to announce that on February 23, the Parliament rejected amendment No. 161 to Draft Law No. 9662, which proposed to ban the production and circulation of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages marked with excise stamps of the previous model from June 1 and September 1, 2024, respectively. We remind you that if the draft law with this amendment had been adopted, the excisable products specified in it would have been considered unmarked after the end of the established transition period, and therefore, such production and circulation would have been subject to sanctions. Legitimate businesses would have to withdraw from circulation and destroy at their own expense their own legally produced, imported, or purchased for further sale quality products, on which all taxes have been paid, and which, according to the law, should have been in circulation until the expiration date of consumption. The business has repeatedly pointed out that the complete withdrawal of such products from circulation would create exorbitant logistical difficulties. As a result, the estimated business losses from the adoption of the amendment could amount to tens of billions of hryvnias. The European Business Association is grateful to the Members of Parliament for hearing and taking into account the position of the business community!

We remind you that if the draft law with this amendment had been adopted, the excisable products specified in it would have been considered unmarked after the end of the established transition period, and therefore, such production and circulation would have been subject to sanctions. Legitimate businesses would have to withdraw from circulation and destroy at their own expense their own legally produced, imported, or purchased for further sale quality products, on which all taxes have been paid, and which, according to the law, should have been in circulation until the expiration date of consumption. The business has repeatedly pointed out that the complete withdrawal of such products from circulation would create exorbitant logistical difficulties. As a result, the estimated business losses from the adoption of the amendment could amount to tens of billions of hryvnias.

The European Business Association is grateful to the Members of Parliament for hearing and taking into account the position of the business community!