Opening banking secrecy to the tax authorities will lead to a decrease in the number of money transfers, including donations. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive commentary to UNN by Viktor Bobyrenko, head of the expert group of the Bureau of Policy Analysis.
Yes, indeed, if this is implemented or regulated in some way, it may lead to a decrease in the number of transfers, including donations. But it will not affect the fight against corruption or anything else
According to him, Ukrainians will switch to cash after the tax authorities are granted access to banking secrecy.
"This will not lead to an increase in budget revenues, but it will definitely lead to less donations and less communication between people. Mostly, card transfers are made between friends, acquaintances, families, and those in Europe send money to their parents, for example," the expert said.
Add
The idea of disclosing tax banking secrecy was suggested by the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, MP Danylo Hetmantsev. Dmytro Oleksiyenko , a member of the Board of ICC Ukraine, a member of the Board of the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine, said in a comment to UNN that this is Hetmantsev's dream.
Oleksiyenko also added that Hetmantsev has been systematically destroying the mechanism of banking secrecy in Ukraine since 2019. For this purpose, he, in particular, included the idea of opening the tax authorities' access to Ukrainians' card accounts in the National Revenue Strategy.
Oleksiyenko emphasized that banking secrecy currently protects citizens' money on card accounts from the tax authorities, and that disclosure of banking secrecy would allow taxing everyone and everything.
Experts have repeatedly pointed out that Hetmantsev is a gray cardinal of the tax service and manages it in manual mode through his people in the State Tax Service of Ukraine, in particular, according to media reports, through his former assistant Yevhen Sokur, who is currently acting as deputy head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine. Therefore, by his actions, including the disclosure of bank secrecy, Hetmantsev plays along with the tax authorities and tries to do everything to make them feel like "masters of life.
Later, the National Bank of Ukraine proposed for public discussion amendments to the Rules for the Storage, Protection, Use and Disclosure of Bank Secrecy, approved by the NBU Board resolution of July 14, 2006.
According to the regulator, the changes are related to the need to bring the rules for storing, protecting, using and disclosing banking secrecy in line with the Law of Ukraine "On Banks and Banking Activities" and to improve the procedure for disclosing information constituting banking secrecy to the National Bank of Ukraine.