Ukrainian parliament passes key bill on international parcel taxes
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Editor's note: The story has been updated to include comments from Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on taxing e-commerce and international parcels on Oct. 15, meeting a condition linked to international financial assistance after missing earlier deadlines.
The bill passed its final vote with 252 lawmakers in favour after facing criticism from some lawmakers. Parliament had previously failed to advance the bill and sent it back for revision.
Its adoption is linked to Ukraine receiving the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) tranche of around $700 million and the EU tranche of 3.7 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in macro-financial assistance.
The legislation introduces the value-added tax (VAT) on international parcels worth up to 150 euros ($168), which are currently tax-exempt. Lawmakers also backed new customs regulations for international mail and express shipments.
The changes could take effect on July 1, 2027, but only after a separate government decision.
Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said the tranches would be disbursed to Ukraine’s state budget "in the coming weeks."
"The adopted bills will ensure a level playing field for Ukrainian businesses and allow the state budget to raise an additional Hr 10 billion ($222 million) annually to fund the Armed Forces," he added.
The parliament repeatedly failed to pass some of the conditions set by Ukraine's partners throughout 2026, amid widespread unpopularity of the changes. Most toxic was a package of new taxes, including a tax on small imported parcels, and a tax on income received from digital platforms, such as Uber.
In recent days, lawmakers have advanced several key bills tied to Western aid, with $29.5 billion in funding at stake if parliament and the government fail to meet the required conditions.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on Oct. 15 he hoped lawmakers would maintain the pace of passing bills.
"The results of this plenary week give us all reason to be optimistic, but there is still a lot of work ahead," Koretskyi wrote on social media.
"We count on the same constructive cooperation in the coming plenary weeks to ensure that all necessary decisions are adopted on time and Ukraine receives the full amount of international financial aid."
