Like the man said, nothing’s sure in life except death and taxes – and the biweekly Kyiv Post Readers Poll. And this time around, taxes were very much on readers’ minds, as they mused what reform should be the priority of the post‑election Ukrainian legislature.
Most readers who chose taxes, however, didn’t have much to say on the subject. Perhaps that’s because the problems with Ukraine’s tax regime are self‑evident: Gennady Titov said the current system simply makes it impossible for companies “to work and develop without breaking the stupid rules every day.”
But judging from the variety of poll responses, parliament may just have a tough time deciding what reform (if any) to focus on, let alone implementing it. The majority of readers had trouble limiting their responses to one topic that should take precedence above all others. Other than taxation, the field of responses was wide open, with suggestions ranging from the uniform enforcement of the traffic code (since the willingness of Ukraine’s elite to play by the rules, “will serve as a quick measurement for foreign observers whether this country is reforming or not”) to the abolition of the presidency (“Ukraine should become a parliamentary republic”).
Alex Haponiyev chimed in with the suggestion that the most important reforms are required in the area of foreign policy, “to confirm Ukraine’s identity and independence.” He argued for equal treatment of Russian and Western businesses and individuals in areas as diverse as import duties, visa requirements and fees, and in the treatment of investors. In short, he said, “Ukraine needs to step out of its subservient role within the Soviet Union.”
Swedish legal‑eagle Lotti Agerlid plumped for a reform of Ukraine’s Civil Code, saying that would represent “the first big chunk of law to show normal Ukrainian citizens how a functioning legal system can protect and assist them in their daily lives.” Many readers referred to a more general reform of the country’s laws – and to clarity.
“Ukraine has more laws than any country needs,” wrote one reader, adding the suggestion, “maybe they need to create a new law to explain how existing laws are to be enforced; but then, how to enforce that one?”
But Petro Morgos pointed out that the legislature alone can’t be expected to reform the situation. The push has to come “from the entire body of government, and in a coherent fashion.”
Speaking of pushing, Ihor Dudchenko took a radical dead‑wood approach and recommended the state rid itself of those, “too old and stupid to work anywhere except for a state body.”
But wait a minute – isn’t it for those people that bureaucracies were invented in the first place?
RESULTS
1. Taxes
2. Dismiss officials/abolish positions
3. Foreign policy
Others receiving votes: Civil Code, the economy, landlord‑tenant relations, revoke deputies’ immunity, slow down and think before passing laws, uniform enforcement of the traffic code.
NEXT QUESTION
Who is the best movie actor and/or actress?
Send answers and comments to [email protected].
