Should Ukraine implement tax reform despite the economic crisis? This was the motion of the debate held by the Foundation of Effective Governance in Kyiv. The discussion, which joined executives and MPs from different countries, has proved very interesting indeed.

Nigel Lawson was one of the initiators of neoliberal reforms in Great Britain, which were held in the 1970s and 1980s – an epoch that became known in history as Thatcherism. Today most of scholars and economists around the world agree on the fact that these very reforms, disseminated by many other governments, laid the bases of “financial capitalism”.

Foundation for Effective Governance held public debates on the theme “Ukraine should introduce tax reform despite the economic crisis”

To continue cooperation with the IMF, Ukraine has agreed to launch the reform of its tax system already next year. Participants of the debate that was held on September 9 by the Foundation for Effective Governance in partnership with London-based Intelligence Squared have tried to figure out if this endeavor may prove successful.

Going on very reluctantly, the budgeting process for 2010, although formally, but still manages to squeeze into the set timeframe. The Cabinet is going to approve the 2010 draft budget today and register it in the Parliament on the fixed date, 15 September. Will the new budget be real? The practice of developing and absorbing the 2009 budget, which, in the view of many analysts, was the most “tamed" and secret of all past national budgets, does not give a positive answer.

The commentaries has decided to find out if Ukraine should implement tax reform despite the economic crisis. The same subject will be discussed during the public debate held on 9 September by the Foundation for Effective Governance

Andrew Swart, partner of an international consultancy, believes that a progress in economy and development of Ukraine can be expected only if the state turns face to people

The conclusion was made by the experts of the Foundation for Effective Governance, who studied competitiveness of Ukraine and the regions against the global rating

Nataliya Izosimova is Managing Director of the Ukrainian Foundation for Effective Governance, an independent public policy institution funded by Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man

“Vinnytsya Oblast competes well with other Ukrainian regions by health and primary education yet lags behind by institutions, technological readiness and innovation”. The information was revealed during the presentation of the Competitiveness Report of Ukraine and other regions prepared within the framework of the partnership project of the Foundation for Effective Governance and the World Economic Forum. The Foundation was established following initiative of Rinat Akhmetov