The State Agency for Tourism Development has calculated how much the state budget of Ukraine has not received in taxes from the tourism industry due to the war.
In the first six months of 2022, representatives of the tourism industry of Ukraine paid 25.7% fewer taxes than in the same period of 2021. Thus, the total number of taxpayers engaged in tourist activities decreased by 17% on average during the first half of the war. At the same time, it was recorded that the number of legal entities decreased by 24.5%, and the number of individuals – by 13.5%.
The largest share of revenues to the state budget for the first six months of the current year was paid by hotels and sanatoriums – almost UAH 461 million. But it is still 30% less compared to the first half of 2021.
A 39% increase in paid tax was recorded from the activities of boarding houses and hostels, which were used as temporary shelters for people who were forced to leave their homes due to the war. But the share of tax paid from the activities of camping sites, camping sites, and children’s recreation camps decreased by 59% – 73 million UAH of tax was paid, compared to 178 million UAH for the same period in 2021.
The increase in income was recorded from the activities of travel agencies, which brought 41% more funds to the state budget than in the same period last year. Analysts attribute this to the fact that the reporting period included the first two pre-war months of the year, which are characterized by early bookings for the New Year and Christmas holidays.
At the same time, a 21% decline was recorded in the activity of tourist operators, who paid only UAH 83 million in taxes to the state budget for the first half of 2022, while for the same period in 2021 they paid UAH 106 million to the state treasury.
The largest amount of tax paid for the first half of 2022 was demonstrated by the city of Kyiv and the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Odesa regions. Growth was demonstrated in Ivano-Frankivsk (63%), Lviv (51%), and Kyiv (16%) regions. However, if we compare the amounts with the same period in 2021, there was a decline in Kyiv and Odesa Oblast. In Odesa region by 82.3%, and the city of Kyiv by 34%.
According to the head of the State Agency for Tourism Development, Marjana Oleskiv, the economic losses of the country’s tourism industry will only increase. The reason is known to everyone – the war. Part of the territory of Ukraine is either occupied or is in the zone of active hostilities, and no tourist activity is possible there. The other part – the western and central regions mainly function as a refuge for those Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes due to the aggression of the Russian Federation. Tour operators specializing in domestic tourism have also partially resumed their work in these territories. It can be stated that little by little, Ukrainians began to afford short trips around the country to recharge to maintain work capacity and psychological peace. And this gives an impetus to the entire chain of related industries – carriers, restaurateurs, and producers of craft products. And one of our most urgent tasks is to help the Ukrainian economy, to work for victory, the head of DART emphasized.