Many businesses use the scheme with parcels from abroad to reduce the cost of goods and gain a competitive advantage over others. Ukrainian manufacturers complain about this problem. Lesya Karnaukh, head of the State Tax Service, told this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Commenting on the government’s plans to reduce the tax-free limit for parcels from abroad from 150 euros, she noted that a Ukrainian manufacturer cannot compete with a Chinese one when the latter still has a tax benefit. In particular, according to her, this issue was actively raised by the Aurora chain, which began to give preference to Ukrainian-made goods over imports.
“We need to look at each specific case and what it is used for. If it is for defense, then there should be exceptions, as was launched in Defense City, as in “Diya.City”, – said the head of the State Tax Service.
“If people use this scheme (with parcels, – ed.) to create uncompetitive conditions or minimize their income, then this should definitely be regulated at the level of the law”, – she added.
She also explained that the current customs benefit is needed by volunteers and manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles, since a large number of spare parts and components are not produced in Ukraine.
“There is talk that if the cost of a personal parcel is up to 45 euros, then it will not be taxed. The second story is that it will be in the customs control zone. All imported parcels undergo customs control before clearance. And this will most likely happen by declaring at customs,” the interlocutor said.
Duty and VAT for parcels from China
Recall that the Government and the Verkhovna Rada have been discussing the idea of taxing international postal items worth up to 150 euros that arrive to individuals for a long time.
In January 2025, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada registered a bill on taxing parcels from abroad of any value. Currently, parcels more expensive than 150 euros are subject to VAT at a rate of 20% and a duty of 10%. At the same time, a significant part of untaxed shipments are purchases by Ukrainians on Chinese online platforms, in particular Temu and AliExpress. The number of such orders has increased significantly recently.
As the expert explained in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, the import of goods from China puts Ukrainian manufacturers on unequal terms, because VAT is included in their price. Chinese products receive competitive advantages. Ukraine plans to adopt European practice, which provides that taxes will be paid by a foreign online platform.
