“We can't sell grain for cash”: Kiper tells how he increased foreign exchange earnings from UAH 15 billion to UAH 60 billion
Kyiv • UNN
Since the order to tighten customs control in Odesa region came into force, foreign exchange earnings have increased from UAH 15 billion to UAH 60 billion per month, as intermediaries are no longer able to operate in this market due to strict document checks and the ability of companies to produce the declared volumes of goods.
In August 2023, Kiper issued an order to strengthen customs control in the region, which established special rules for the export of agricultural products from Odesa region for export. This meant that the region would have its own customs rules. Since the order came into effect, foreign exchange earnings have increased from UAH 15 billion to UAH 60 billion per month. The head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper, told this in an interview with Censor.Net, UNN reports.
From the beginning of the order, there were 15 billion hryvnia of foreign exchange earnings that were returned, and now we have already reached the figure of 60 billion hryvnia per month. These are the figures of the National Bank. And if you have received a refund of foreign currency earnings, made a profit, you need to pay taxes, show the origin of your expenses: fuel, seeds, fertilizers, salaries, to name a few. Do you realize how many taxes go around in circles that we will never count? I was pleased to hear that at one of the meetings, I was told that they had talked to a farmer from another region, and he said: "Listen, there's a crazy head of the RMA in Odesa, and we can't sell grain for cash
Thanks to the successful operation of the order, it is no longer profitable for intermediaries to operate in this market, Kiper continued.
We do not give them this opportunity. We ask for confirmation documents. And if the document is "drawn", the tax authorities check it before the shipment, and if they find signs of fictitiousness, i.e. the absence of land and workers, they simply block it and do not allow the grain to be loaded onto the ship. The regulation that we signed, in addition to the order, stipulates that a preliminary customs declaration is submitted on what is planned to be exported. Customs sends the information to the tax office. The tax office examines the company to see if it is able to produce the volume of products for which the declaration is filed, and the company receives a refusal to export the products or a permit