Ukraine is country of millionaires

People are getting poorer, the rich, on the contrary, fatten, such is the conclusion drawn after a press-conference held by chairman of the Ukrainian State Revenue Administration Nikolay Azarov in Kiev yesterday. In Azarov’s words, according to results of 2001, 160 people in Ukraine have declared the income of over one million hryvnas (about $200,000), 10 people registered the income of over 10 million hryvnas and one Ukrainian – over 40 million. What is interesting, only 62 people declared their million incomes in 2000.

In Azarov’s words, main part of such great income is derived from sale of shares and real estate, by dividend collection and alienation of other property. Share of wages in the income does not exceed 3%.

Chairman of the Sate Revenue Administration says that the millionaires have not paid the income tax. 8,4 billion hryvnas out of the 8,8 billion hryvnas of Ukraine’s income tax was transferred to the consolidated budget by people with the income of less than 400 hryvnas per month.

Nikolay Azarov said that the tree men (it was added, the people are rater famous in Ukraine) whose income exceeded 1 million hryvnas and who transferred no income tax, should submit necessary documents by September 1, otherwise their names would be officially published as infringers and sanctions for non-payment would be applied to them.

To frighten the defaulters, Nikolay Azarov mentioned examples of revenue persecution of rather famous people, writer Francoise Sagan who got a 2,5-year imprisonment for income tax non-payment, and tennis player Boris Bekker.

Chairman of the Ukrainian State Revenue Administration addressed Russian show business producers and asked them to strictly observe Ukrainian tax legislation.

Alexander Gorobets PRAVDA.Ru Kiev Ukraine

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/07/17/44305.html

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