Dodger mania Public Control
«Dodger Mania» by James Surowiecki published in The New Yorker on July 11, 2011 is very well worth reading. It is about tax evasion in Greece, which is reminiscent of Ukraine's case. Such a mentality makes tax reform a much more challenging endeavor. Follow the link and enjoy!
Insolvent bank costs passed on to taxpayers and donors Public Control
The National Bank of Ukraine published a list of banks it had refinanced throughout the course of 2014. Many of them were judged insolvent.
Luxury car tax in perspective Taxes
New luxury car tax will require individuals who purchase a car with a 3.0 liter engine (or larger) pay an annual tax of 25,000 hryvnia (approx. $1,400).
EU budget support in Ukraine International Cooperation
"EU Budget Support in Ukraine (Ukr.)" brochure has been published. It explains in simple words what budget support is. In summer 2014, the EU has disbursed €250 million of non-reimbursable assistance to Ukraine. The payment is the first tranche of the State Building Contract, which is worth up to €355 million in total.
“The Receipt from the State” application: How it works (updated) Public Control
“The Price of the State” website allows everyone, using “The Receipt from the State” application, to calculate how much he or she pays in taxes each year and how the government allocates his or her tax money. The only information needed to do this is the person’s monthly net salary and budget for goods and services. This article aims to clarify how the application works.
History of pensions History
The history of the national pension system is still a young one. Over the last two decades, the national pension system has been developing rapidly and set ambitions goals of completely covering the entire population and provide an adequate income to retirees. However, to this day many states still have immature formal pension schemes. This is true for countries in Africa, South and Eastern Asia, and Latin America. Often, the state guarantees only a minimum income to its older citizens. Moreover, even developed countries provide low state pensions to the average citizen. Thus, more than half of the world’s elderly rely exclusively on informal and traditional arrangements for income security.
Russian science is amazing. So why hasn’t it taken over the world? Public Administration
«Russian science is amazing. So why hasn’t it taken over the world?» by Leon Neyfakh published in The Boston Globe on January 4, 2015 is very well worth reading. Follow the link and enjoy!
2015 budget: an “empty” version Budget Analysis
On December 29, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law On State Budget 2015. The bill introduced to the parliament several days before the voting offered a too ambitious income plan (with an anticipated growth of over 30%), included a very wide fiscal gap (8.8% of GDP, including 3.7% GDP of the central budget deficit), and was too reliant on the money issue by the National Bank (the budget required to issue about UAH 200 billion).