Ukraine's parliament may consider economic exemption from mobilization in 2024 – MP Getmantsev
Ukraine may introduce an economic exemption from mobilization this year, but it is a complex issue that has been under discussion for a long time, according to Danil Getmantsev, the head of the Financial Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
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When asked about the possibility of introducing an economic exemption this year, Getmantsev replied, "Yes." However, the lawmkaer emphasized that this is a very complex socio-political decision.
"Such an approach during the war divides people, and there is also the question of how the military will perceive this decision, which is very important in the context of the impossibility of demobilization. This is an extremely sensitive issue," he added.
Getmantsev stressed that this is one of the most difficult issues in the last five years.
"It is impossible to resolve it in a way that satisfies everyone. But it exacerbates social contradictions in the country," he noted.
According to Getmantsev, based on calculations by the Ministry of Finance, monthly budget revenues from the economic exemption could amount to approximately 8 billion hryvnias ($194 million). This is possible if the majority of conscripts who currently receive a salary of less than 35,000 hryvnias ($850) start receiving that amount.
"The criterion for exemption in the form of the official salary level should exist. This will contribute to the de-shadowing of the economy and the formalization of wages, which is the right decision," Getmantsev stated.
However, he noted that the funds that can be expected in the budget from the economic exemption is uncertain.
"It is impossible to be 100% sure that these funds will actually be received. The Ministry of Finance calculated 8 billion hryvnias per month – we hope that this money will be there," the lawmaker concluded.
Currently, there are three bills on economic exemption in the Verkhovna Rada:
- One proposes a higher military tax of 20,400 hryvnias ($495) per month for each exempted person.
- Another proposes exemption based on a salary level of over 36,336 hryvnias ($882).
- A third proposes a mixed model: a salary of 36,336 hryvnias for employed workers and a military tax of 20,400 hryvnias for self-employed individuals.
At the end of July, Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko stated that the idea of economic exemption remains relevant, but the main task now is to survive.
Many lawmakers, including those in the parliamentary leadership, oppose the economic exemption. First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Korniyenko said that this could create "another line of division in society between the rich and the poor."
Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Fedir Venislavskyi said that "this is a very sensitive issue," and the parliament does not guarantee the adoption of the law on economic exemption.
