In early autumn, for the first time within the last years, the Cabinet of Minister of Ukraine, represented by the Ministry of Finance, presented the draft law, concerning amendments to the Tax Code, which will come into force from January 1, 2017. In the meantime, the draft state budget 2017 was presented, Forbes Ukraine reports.

From the presented documents, it may be concluded that it is not worth expecting for the weakening of the fiscal load on business entities and households. The draft laws provide the increased rates of some indirect taxes and the slightly altered approaches to their administration.

According to the explanatory note to draft amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine, the national government intends to create conditions for increasing revenues to the budget and ensure the balance of budget 2017 through:

1) Value added tax:

- Cancellation of the special regime of VAT taxation for agricultural goods producers;

- Unified public register of VAT refund for exporters of agricultural products;

2) Excise tax:

- Increasing excise tax rate for alcoholic beverages (trend of several last years);

- Introduction of the single rate of excise tax for diesel fuel 125.5 euros for 1000 l instead of differentiated rates of 125.5 euros and 95 euros depending on the sulfur content;

3) Increasing the rental fee rate for using radio-frequency resource and for the transit pipeline transportation of the ammonia through the territory of Ukraine.

It is obvious again that the national government will attempt to form budgetary revenues mainly through indirect taxes. The national economy demonstrates the recessional character of development, despite the positive economic growth rates, observed in the first and second quarters of 2016 (0.1% and 1.4% to the relevant quarter of 2015). It is obvious that GDP growth became the result of a low comparative base, more than the result of the stimulating effect of tax reforms of the last years.

It is corroborated by the fact that the share of indirect taxes, in particular, value added tax and excise tax, makes up about a half in the budgetary revenue structure within the last years. For 2017, the VAT share and the excise are planned at 55.4% in the state budget revenue structure.

The VAT and excise tax share in the state budget revenue structure.