The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will not oppose raising the corporate profit tax for banks in Ukraine from the current 25% to 50%. This became known from an RBC-Ukraine publication discussing the new tax burden for the financial sector.
Third concession by the Fund
The issue of revising tax rates for banks was actively discussed during the visit of the IMF mission to Kyiv, which concluded on June 3. Sources familiar with the details of the negotiations report that the IMF generally opposes increasing such a burden, fearing a reduction in the volume of economic lending. However, in this case, the Fund has made concessions to Ukraine for the third time.
"They will not be against it. So we will make the decision," a source told the publication, commenting on the position of international partners.
Financial indicators and special fund
According to the data, over two years, Ukrainian banks have transferred more than 170 billion hryvnias to the special fund of the state budget. For comparison: in 2022, with a tax rate of 18%, the amount of receipts was only 7.3 billion hryvnias.
In 2026, the tax continues to be in effect and is paid quarterly. At the same time, legislation prohibits banks from taking into account losses from previous periods when calculating the tax base. Already in the first quarter of 2026, Ukrainian commercial banks were required to transfer 26.96 billion hryvnias to the budget from a total profit of 52.96 billion hryvnias.
Plans for 2027 and the regulator's position
The authorities are considering the possibility of raising the tax to 50% again in 2027. This decision is motivated by the expected reduction in external financing of the country. Nevertheless, the National Bank of Ukraine and representatives of the banking community are categorically against such an initiative, pointing to serious risks for lending to the real sector of the economy.
Proponents of the rate increase argue their actions based on the existence of super-profits for banks obtained from operations with internal government bonds (OVGZ). At the same time, the IMF maintains a neutral position, leaving the final decision to Ukrainian legislators.