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Business сalls for support of critical railway infrastructure

10/ 09/ 2025
  The European Business Association has addressed the Government with an initiative to exempt railway land from property tax, specifically land within the railway right-of-way and associated infrastructure. Since the abolition of this tax benefit in 2019, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has been paying billions of hryvnias annually in land tax. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, this amount exceeded UAH 13.2 billion. According to the Association’s experts, this tax burden is economically unjustified and leads to a number of negative consequences for the railway sector, including reduced competitiveness, lower investment attractiveness, and diminished profitability of rail transport. As a result, the cost of railway transportation rises, directly impacting logistics costs for businesses. By comparison, in many EU countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland, property tax is generally not applied to railway companies. Railway transport performs a vital socio-economic function for local communities, providing interregional connectivity and creating employment opportunities. In Ukraine, however, the railway is forced to cover land tax costs by increasing freight tariffs for businesses. In effect, it is the business sector that subsidises Ukrzaliznytsia’s tax obligations, in addition to covering passenger transport losses, which exceeded UAH 18 billion in 2024. The European Business Association has already approached the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, the Ministry of Finance, and relevant parliamentary committees, calling for the restoration of fairness in tax policy and support for critical railway infrastructure. The Ministry of Communities has endorsed the business community’s position and acknowledged the existence of unequal conditions in the transport sector. The EBA is confident that exempting railway land from property tax will ensure sustainable development not only for Ukrzaliznytsia but also for the businesses and communities that depend on rail connectivity.

The European Business Association has addressed the Government with an initiative to exempt railway land from property tax, specifically land within the railway right-of-way and associated infrastructure.

Since the abolition of this tax benefit in 2019, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has been paying billions of hryvnias annually in land tax. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, this amount exceeded UAH 13.2 billion.

According to the Association’s experts, this tax burden is economically unjustified and leads to a number of negative consequences for the railway sector, including reduced competitiveness, lower investment attractiveness, and diminished profitability of rail transport. As a result, the cost of railway transportation rises, directly impacting logistics costs for businesses.

By comparison, in many EU countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland, property tax is generally not applied to railway companies. Railway transport performs a vital socio-economic function for local communities, providing interregional connectivity and creating employment opportunities.

In Ukraine, however, the railway is forced to cover land tax costs by increasing freight tariffs for businesses. In effect, it is the business sector that subsidises Ukrzaliznytsia’s tax obligations, in addition to covering passenger transport losses, which exceeded UAH 18 billion in 2024.

The European Business Association has already approached the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, the Ministry of Finance, and relevant parliamentary committees, calling for the restoration of fairness in tax policy and support for critical railway infrastructure. The Ministry of Communities has endorsed the business community’s position and acknowledged the existence of unequal conditions in the transport sector.

The EBA is confident that exempting railway land from property tax will ensure sustainable development not only for Ukrzaliznytsia but also for the businesses and communities that depend on rail connectivity.

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