The Verkhovna Rada on Sept. 16 passed two significant draft bills in their first readings, advancing key fiscal and business reforms required under Ukraine’s international funding commitments.
Lawmakers backed Draft No. 16051-1, with 273 votes, to introduce a 20% value-added tax (VAT) on cross-border e-commerce parcels valued at under €150 ($170).
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Under the proposed rules, foreign online marketplaces and digital platforms would be responsible for calculating and remitting the tax directly.
Personal non-commercial shipments worth up to €45 ($52), unaccompanied luggage worth up to €150 ($173), and imported goods designated for military and energy needs will remain tax-free.
The passage follows almost a year of political pushback: parliament had previously failed to pass the parcel tax twice, despite appeals from Serhiy Marchenko, the finance minister, and Serhii Koretskyi, prime minister, before President Volodymyr Zelensky directly urged lawmakers to support it.
The legislation aims to generate around Hr.10 billion ($224 million) annually for a dedicated state budget fund to support Ukraine’s armed forces, while leveling the playing field between domestic and foreign retailers.
The reform is one of several structural benchmarks under Ukraine’s updated IMF program, required to release an upcoming $692 million tranche.
The parcel -tax measure was included among commitments signed in November 2025 and is also linked to progress toward €3.7 billion ($4.27 billion) in EU macro-financial assistance.
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During the same session, parliament approved No. 15024 with 270 votes to institute simplified, lower-cost insolvency procedures for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The measure limits proceedings to a maximum of 180 days, without extensions; safeguards employee wages; and harmonizes national law with EU Directive 2019/1023.
The bill fulfills one of several indicators under the Ukraine Facility plan needed to secure €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in EU funding.
To take effect, both measures still require approval in a second reading, alongside key amendments to the Customs Code.
According to the August 2026 Monitoring Report published by the RRR4U consortium, Kyiv is navigating critical bottlenecks across three major donor pipelines, creating severe risks for the national budget despite recent policy breakthroughs.
Ukraine still faces 13 unfulfilled reform indicators from late 2025 through mid-2026, leaving around $4 billion in macro-financial assistance for 2026 frozen. Koretskyi told lawmakers that Ukraine is counting on $30 billion from partners this year, contingent on parliament delivering the reforms it promised.
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