The CEO of Ukrposhta wants all Ukrainians to file tax returns: details of the initiative
9 April 10:42
Ihor Smilianskyi, CEO of Ukrposhta, has proposed introducing mandatory income reporting for all Ukrainian citizens. At the same time, he criticized the current model of open electronic declarations for officials and stated that he considers a closed but mandatory reporting system for everyone to be a more effective approach. Smilianskyi wrote about his position on Facebook, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
What exactly did Smiliansky propose?
Ihor Smiliansky stated that he does not support open declarations by officials or mandatory reporting in the current public format for politically significant individuals.
“I am not only against this exhibitionism with open declarations, which, aside from a bunch of social media posts and conversations on the bench—’Do you know how much Zelenskyy earns? Less than our plumber Vasya’—are of zero use,” Smelyanskiy emphasized.
Instead, he advocated for a different model—100% confidential declarations for all citizens of Ukraine.
In his view, such a system would be more effective for monitoring income and combating tax evasion.
In his argument, the head of Ukrposhta emphasized that damage to the budget can arise not only from corruption among officials but also from underpayment of taxes by businesses or citizens. That is why, in his view, the approach to income control must be universal.
“Because an official who stole 10 million hryvnias and a businessman who underpaid 10 million in taxes to the budget have the same impact on the lack of funds to raise military salaries,” the CEO of Ukrposhta is convinced.
Why Smiliansky Criticizes Open Declarations by Officials
Smiliansky stated that he sees no benefit in the open format of declarations as it currently operates. In his view, public declarations generate more public debate and buzz on social media than they actually help reduce corruption or improve tax compliance.
At the same time, the current declaration system in Ukraine currently applies specifically to public servants. The NACP notes that annual declarations are submitted by individuals specified in Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Preventing Corruption,” and the declaration campaign for 2025 ran from January 1 to March 31, 2026.
What example did Smiliansky cite?
The CEO of Ukrposhta explained his position by citing the U.S. experience. He wrote that his first job was with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and that is why, in his own words, he knows well how a system works where all citizens file declarations and the tax authority monitors not only income but also expenses.
“And I know from personal experience: in the U.S., where tax returns aren’t public but all citizens file them, the fight against corruption is more successful. Because the U.S. tax agency monitors not only income but also expenses. Moreover, it does so in real time, digitally, and knows for certain that you cannot live in Times Square or near the White House in Washington while earning minimum wage. But here, even with all tax returns being public, somehow that’s exactly what happens,” Smiliansky emphasized.
Smiliansky cited an example of how the U.S. tax authority can compare a person’s lifestyle with their officially declared income. He considers this approach more effective than the public disclosure of individual officials’ assets.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
He noted that if everyone fills out their private declarations and someone lists an address on Khreshchatyk with an income of 10,000 hryvnias, officials should come to them and ask where the funds for housing in central Kyiv came from.
It is worth noting that Smiliansky’s own electronic declaration has not been publicly available for many years.
How the declaration system currently works in Ukraine
In Ukraine, following the resumption of electronic declarations, declarations have once again become mandatory for officials, and the NACP has resumed its functions of verifying declarations. Public access to the registry has also been restored with security restrictions for certain categories of declarants.
The NACP explicitly identifies officials’ declarations as one of the most effective tools for preventing corruption in the public sector, as it allows both citizens and the state to verify whether an official’s assets and lifestyle correspond to their lawful income.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
