Softengi as all software vendors in Ukraine are today closely following all  the developments around new Tax Code of Ukraine.

The draft Tax Code announced recently by the government of Ukraine wasn’t even close to what had been hoped for in tax reform, and, in fact, contains numerous new provisions that negatively impact the business environment in Ukraine and the IT outsourcing industry in particular.

Discussions have been underway for almost three months and IT companies are actively seeking improvements to the draft Tax Code as the tax reform may either boost development and growth of IT industry in Ukraine or destroy it.

The IT outsourcing industry in Ukraine has shown considerable growth during the last decade. Recent studies indicate that currently Ukraine holds its position among the most attractive outsourcing destinations and is surely moving towards the top of the list.

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Source: Market Visio research “Ukrainian IT Service and Products Export Market 2003”
Research by GOAL Europe “Outsourcing Industry in Ukraine 2007”
CEE IT Outsourcing review 2007
CEE IT Outsourcing review 2008

Besides the global uncertainties of the economy, Ukrainian IT outsourcing industry is greatly affected by the economic and political situation in the country. Many other countries who are competitors of Ukraine in IT outsourcing have established special tax policies for outsourcing providers thus placing them in more favorable position and promoting industry growth.

For example, India, China, Brazil, Russian Federation, and Romania have several times lower tax rates for software vendors than Ukraine.

Belarus has special Government program for the stimulation of software development industry. The Belarus Hi-Tech Park  in Minsk provides comfortable business environment for IT business with its special taxation conditions which are unprecedented for European countries.

Now it seems to be a turning point for the Ukrainian IT industry.

Depending on how wise the decisions  are the government will make and what specific steps will be taken towards in the near future to establish a favorable business environment, the IT outsourcing industry in Ukraine will either pick up the pace and blossom over the next years or go into the shadows, lose its competitive advantage and slither into a long depression.

Ukrainian software vendors through their professional alliances including the Ukrainian Hi-Tech Initiative and U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) are working to introduce new, favorable position for the IT industry, with provisions in the Tax Code aimed to assist software companies sustain and move ahead of the competition.

Softengi, as a member of the Ukrainian Hi-Tech Initiative, a leading Ukrainian alliance in offshore software development, is also engaged in the new Tax Code discussions and hopes that the voice of the IT Outsourcing industry will be heard by officials in the government and legislators in the Parliament and taken into account.