Bìznes Inform (Jun 2017)
The Strategy of Excise Taxation of Tobacco Products in Ukraine
Abstract
The article is aimed at disclosing and improving approaches to the development of a strategy of excise tax policy in Ukraine, taking into account the foreign experience of harmonizing tax legislation in this sphere. An analysis of the implementation of the EU directives on the regulation of the minimum excise tax liability for the payment of excise taxes on tobacco products in the countries with transformational economies has been carried out. It has been found that, in cases of excessive tax pressure, the equilibrium of the market is disrupted, its shadow component is growing, and the overall economic efficiency level decreases. It has been determined that for the period of 2007-2016 the availability index for cigarettes in Ukraine decreased 2,3 times, which in some way demotivated their consumption. However, the change in the approach of calculation of ad valorem rate for the excise tax and introduction of the excise tax on the sub-excise goods sold by the retailers led to manipulative actions by the major actors in the market concerning the price of cigarettes, which impacted both the increase in the availability of cigarettes in 2016 and the decline in budget revenues. Regulation of the minimum excise duty is the most effective instrument of fiscal policy to achieve goals in the area of limitation of smoking.
