Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smelyansky will also be involved in customs reform
4 December 2024 10:42
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has appointed Ihor Smelyansky, who holds the position of CEO of Ukrposhta JSC, as the government commissioner for customs reform. This was announced by the government’s representative in parliament, Taras Melnychuk, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said it was good news that Ihor Smelyansky, the head of Ukrposhta, would join the team of reformers of Ukrainian customs. “If, of course, he continues to be the CEO of his company,” the MP said.
On his Telegram channel, Ihor Smelyansky spoke about what he would do as a government commissioner for customs reform.
According to him, the main goal of the project is to develop and propose a completely new customs model over the next 3-4 months together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and other participants.
“This model will be based on digitalization, data analysis, and risk models, with minimal human intervention. For example, you can chase smuggling of certain goods for years, or you can make sure that they simply cannot be sold. Underestimated the import value? You’ll pay more VAT (because the databases are integrated). Of course, I will not disclose all the secrets,” said Ihor Smelyansky.
He assured that he is ready to hear from everyone, including smugglers, to understand why and how the schemes work and whether the rules of the game can be changed so that everyone plays fair.
Ihor Smelyansky also responded in absentia to critics who believe that postal reform should be carried out by a postman and customs reform by a customs officer.
“My first education was as an auditor, I am a certified public accountant and a lawyer in the United States. I understand customs, taxes, etc. More than 60% of international parcels go through Ukrposhta. If you haven’t used it for a long time, try it. we deliver 93% of parcels in 3-5 days after crossing the border. So I know a lot about customs,” said Ihor Smelyansky, the newly appointed Government Commissioner for Customs Reform.
What falls within the competence of the Government Commissioner
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Regulation on the Government Commissioner for Customs Reform. According to this document, the Commissioner will be responsible for the implementation of tasks related to the organization of the customs reform process.
He will do so on a voluntary basis, i.e. without being paid a salary from the state budget.
The competence of the Commissioner includes
– preparation of proposals for reforming the customs authorities as part of the implementation of the National Revenue Strategy until 2030;
– preparation of proposals for the implementation of measures related to the involvement of civil society institutions in the formation and implementation of the state customs policy;
– initiating the adoption and elaboration of regulations on issues within its competence;
– participation in cooperation with international organizations on the development and implementation of customs policy.
How customs will be reformed
In June 2024, the International Monetary Fund included a requirement to reboot the customs service as a structural beacon, the fulfillment of which is one of the conditions for continuing further cooperation with Ukraine.
In September, the Verkhovna Rada approved the draft law No. 6490-d on the reboot of the customs service. The President has already signed it. The law changes the procedure for competitive selection of the head of the State Customs Service. From now on, the chief customs officer will be selected by a six-member competition commission. Three of them will be appointed by the Ministry of Finance, and the other three will be qualified representatives of international organizations. The right to cast a decisive vote, similar to the procedures for the selection of the heads of NABU, NAPC, SAPO and BES, will be granted to international experts.
The newly elected head of the Customs will have broader personnel powers. In particular, he will be able to appoint his deputies without a mandatory competition, and will have the right to appoint heads of regional customs offices and their deputies independently, without the approval of anyone else. A polygraph test will now be one of the stages in the selection of candidates for customs positions.
The Customs reform provides for an independent audit procedure to be conducted by a commission of three international experts after 1 and 3 years of the Head of the State Customs Service’s tenure. It also provides for the certification of all customs officers.
