During 2023, the state budget of Ukraine received UAH 10.4 billion in tax payments from representatives of the gambling business. This is a record figure since the legalization of gambling in 2020.
People's deputy and first deputy chairman of the Committee on Financial and Customs Policy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on the volume of revenues to the state budget in his Telegram channel. He emphasized that the total amount of gaming business taxation in 2023 is 14 times greater than in 2022 and 51 times greater than in 2021. Only in December 2023, the state budget received UAH 800 million in taxes.
The achievement of such high indicators is due not only to the growth of the number of gambling operators in Ukraine, but also to the signing by President Volodymyr Zelensky of the law on the refund of the tax for online casinos at the level of 18%. We are talking about the so-called GGR tax, which provides for the taxation of absolutely all bets minus the amount of winnings. Previously, after the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, the gambling business operated under a simplified taxation system and paid only 2% of turnover.
According to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial, Tax and Customs Policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, due to the transition of the gambling business to a simplified taxation system, the state budget of Ukraine suffered billions in losses. He emphasized:
“This led to a many times lower level of taxation of enterprises working in this field. For one of the analyzed business entities – three times, for another – five times. At the same time, the income level remains high even during the war.”
According to Hetmantsev, it was necessary to return the 18% rate even earlier. In such a case, the amount of tax revenues would be much larger, which is extremely important for the Ukrainian economy in today's difficult conditions.
Note that UAH 10.4 billion is exclusively tax revenue to the state budget. Gambling operators also pay license fees. For 2023, the projected amount of such payments amounted to UAH 1.596 billion. But already in November, the plan was exceeded – the gaming business paid more than UAH 1.6 billion for licenses. In 2024, the government plans to receive slightly more than UAH 1.596 billion from license fees. Given the positive dynamics, this amount is quite achievable.