New facts come up in the story of budget filling the Prime Minister’s way — by selling vehicles that belong to the enterprises with debts to state budget coffers. Last weekend Tax Administration Chairman Mykola Azarov declared at a Cabinet session, “The TA needs to form a special expert group to estimate the impounded property for its future sale.”
On the one hand people understand that the Tax Administration’s job is to collect taxes and not sell used cars. They also understand that the administration is not very happy about the task the government has given it and which has only a peripheral relationship to its main function. On the other hand, under conditions of financial crisis and constant payment delays to budget organizations, the formation of such an expert group looks like a desperate attempt to avoid such “high responsibility” if not a joke. However, Azarov understands that no matter what happens he will be responsible for filling state coffers using new extraordinary methods. Thus he has a very serious approach to the property, already estimated to be worth Hr 625 million plus valuables seized by customs totaling Hr 6.6 million. According to Azarov this is different from organizations holding State Property Fund licenses, which he maintains, estimate the property they receive in their own interests.
Only time will tell what the wheels and other valuables will bring in, but experts say it will not help the state budget, especially in the current financial crisis conditions.
PS. According to Interfax-Ukraine, the tax service is eyeing 38,000 cars belonging to indebted enterprises worth a total of Hr 183 million. 8,600 cars worth Hr 74 million have already been seized.






