The Ukrainian Philanthropists Forum has launched an advocacy campaign aimed at getting the Verkhovna Rada to adopt laws on charity
The Ukrainian Philanthropists Forum has launched an advocacy campaign aimed at getting the Verkhovna Rada to adopt laws on charity (№ 4172а, 4173а, 4176а). The bills were drafted by the forum’s experts with support from the International Renaissance Foundation, Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for Development of Ukraine, Joint International Charity Foundation, Ukrainian Philanthropic Marketplace, Board of Trustees of the Okhmadyt Hospital, EY, and Baker&McKenzie.
The forum is asking everyone to send letters to MPs to exempt charitable assistance from taxes.
If passed, the laws would increase the non-taxable amount of targeted and non-targeted charitable assistance. The current amount is 1710 UAH (100 euro) annually, which makes it impossible to meet the basic needs of the poor (food and medical treatment for the elderly, equipment for children with cerebral palsy, etc.). Following public discussions on this issue, the decision was made to advocate for this amount to be increased to 3,000 euro/annually (the current amount in Eastern and Central Europe).
The laws would also exempt charitable organizations from paying income tax when providing emergency charitable care to families of those killed during the events on Maidan in 2013-2014 and military personnel injured while fighting in Eastern Ukraine.
The laws would also allow charitable assistance to be provided in the form of services, not just money and material support. Currently this is not possible.
The bills also stipulate that charitable medical and educational services can be provided not only by Ukrainian medical and educational institutions, but also institutions of other forms of ownership as well as foreign institutions.
One other law would give charitable funds and organizations access to the state budget so that they could, like civil society organizations, fulfill government contracts and implement other public policy objectives.
Contacts:
Ukrainian Philanthropists Forum
(+380 44) 425 92 94
info@ufb.org.ua
