Conceptual approaches to improving carbon dioxid taxation in Ukraine
Authors:   Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Riabchyn Oleksiy , Novytska Nadiia ,   Research Institute of Fiscal Policy, University of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, Khliebnikova Inna ,   Research Institute of Fiscal Policy, University of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine
Published: December 2021

The domestic carbon tax needs to improve tax administration to ensure its fiscal efficiency and reduce transaction costs for tax compliance. Despite the fact that in the Tax Code of Ukraine the calculation of such a tax is based on the actual indicators of CO2 emissions, in practice it is based on the amount of resources consumed and the characteristics of the production process. Accordingly, the difficulties in administering this tax are the complexity of tax audits and the need to involve environmental experts. All this does not allow to adhere to the principle of cost-effectiveness of taxation and highlights the need to find opportunities to simplify the process of tax administration on the basis of world best practices. The purpose of the article is to outline conceptual approaches to improving carbon taxation, which will allow Ukraine to simplify tax administration and together with the EU to effectively combat the effects of climate change in order to increase security and create new opportunities for Ukrainian business under the European Green Deal. The methodological basis of the study was the use of a set of general and special methods: generalizations and scientific abstraction, historical and logical, extrapolations, spatial and graphical and tabular methods of visualization. The application of the SWOT analysis method and the systematization of European practice revealed that the most acceptable for Ukraine is the use of tax on CO2 emissions in the form of an indirect tax on energy consumption. Coefficients of carbon content in fuel, calorific value of fuel and its oxidation factor were used to convert the emission base carbon tax into the fuel base carbon tax. The implementation of these proposals will help increase the efficiency of administration of such a tax, as it will: 1) reduce the number of taxpayers through the introduction of the institution of tax agents while increasing the amount of tax paid by one taxpayer; 2) simplify the procedure for calculating the tax base by taxpayers and employees of tax authorities; 3) increase the fiscal efficiency of the environmental tax on carbon dioxide emissions from stationary sources by 50% in the case of setting the CO2 price at UAH 10 per ton (5-fold when setting the CO2 price at UAH 30 per ton in accordance with the proposals of the bill No 5600) and to attract potential revenues from the transport sector in the amount of 0.06% of GDP. The use of practical proposals and recommendations obtained in the article will increase the effectiveness of Ukraine's tax policy by forming a set of measures which will reduce the energy dependence of the national economy, including through incentives for energy-saving and climate-neutral technologies, reduce the burden on the environment, and will help simplify the administration of environmental taxes while increasing their fiscal efficiency. Research materials can be used in the preparation of draft regulations and policy documents in the field of environmental and excise taxation, which is within the competence of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, as well as in the formation of proposals, reservations and recommendations to other regulations on improving environmental and excise taxation initiated both by the authorities of the executive power of Ukraine, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on improving environmental and excise taxation. The theoretical results are the development of a general theory of fiscal administration for environmental and excise taxation.