Ukrainian parliament to vote again on IMF-required bill next week

By Yuliia Dysa

KYIV, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament will make another attempt next week to vote on a bill introducing a tax on parcels sent from abroad, a senior lawmaker told Reuters, a critical condition for securing International Monetary Fund backing. 

The vote is a litmus test on parliament's ability to deliver much needed reforms as Ukraine faces a budget crunch in the fifth year of its war with Russia. 

With a deficit of more than $32 billion this year, the country needs to accelerate reforms required by its key lenders, including the IMF, to receive money to keep its economy afloat and cover social payments as the war rages on. 

But the bill envisaging value-added tax on parcels from abroad worth under €150 ($175) has proved to be divisive, with lawmakers again failing to pass it in first reading last week. 

Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the parliamentary committee for finances, taxes and customs, said that the government planned to resubmit the document to parliament on Monday. Next week, lawmakers are expected to review it again, he added.

An IMF mission visited Kyiv last week for scheduled talks on the funding review. Lawmakers described talks with the mission as complicated, as it was made clear that no exceptions regarding the bill should be expected. 

Ruslan Stefanchuk, parliament's chairman, stressed during his Monday meeting with lawmakers that critical bills should be passed. 

"Decisions on which international assistance to Ukraine and the stability of the state budget depend cannot wait," he said on X, echoing similar calls by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. 

For over a year, Ukraine has struggled to approve reforms necessary to receive funds from its international backers. 

Parliamentarians often accuse the government and president of populism, ignoring priority issues and badly written draft laws when they explain their opposition. 

($1 = 0.8604 euros)

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Toby Chopra)