Parliament passes law on taxing international parcels worth up to €150

Parliament approved draft law No. 16051-1, concerning taxes on international parcels valued up to €150. It matters because earlier attempts to remove their exemption and add VAT were rejected twice. The package also contains a separate tax change for people renting homes.

Under the amendment, personal income tax for residential landlords falls from 18% to 5%. The 5% military levy remains unchanged. Yaroslav Zhelezniak said Olena Shuliak’s amendment aims to bring more of the real-estate market out of the shadows.

The bill passed with 252 votes in Parliament, according to committee chair Danylo Hetmantsev. The source does not provide an effective date or explain the final customs collection process. For shoppers, the law signals a new tax approach to lower-value international deliveries. For landlords, it lowers the stated income-tax rate while preserving the military levy.

An international parcel is a shipment sent across a national border to a recipient in another country. Here, the €150 figure is the parcel’s declared value, not its weight or delivery distance. It marks the value range affected by the Ukrainian rules discussed in the article.

For example, a Ukrainian shopper ordering €120 of goods from abroad would have an international parcel below the threshold. A €180 order would exceed it, so the shipment would fall outside the “up to €150” category. The bill concerns taxation of these lower-value parcels, although the article does not specify the final tax calculation.

The Verkhovna Rada passed draft law No. 16051-1 with 252 votes, according to Danylo Hetmantsev. Earlier, lawmakers twice rejected proposals abolishing the exemption and introducing VAT on parcels up to €150. Therefore, the threshold signals which shipments lawmakers are targeting, but readers need implementing rules for exact costs.

€150 is roughly $165–170, although exchange rates change daily. In Ukrainian online shopping, that is a mid-priced order, not a luxury purchase. The threshold matters because parcels at or below it previously benefited from a tax exemption. Parliament has now passed a law changing that treatment for international deliveries. The exact financial effect depends on implementation details not given in the article.

Common examples include a €40 pair of shoes, a €60 coat, books, cosmetics, phone accessories, or small household electronics. A smartphone accessory bundle or several clothing items could easily remain below €150. These purchases are often ordered from foreign websites and delivered individually. Once the parcel crosses the threshold, the new rules may affect its final cost, depending on adopted procedures and rates.

On Telegram, committee head Danylo Hetmantsev said 252 lawmakers supported draft No. 16051-1. Parliament had already rejected similar proposals twice, showing the issue’s political sensitivity. The same bill also includes a separate rental-tax change: personal income tax falls from 18% to 5%. The 5% military levy remains, according to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak. For shoppers, low-value imports may no longer stay tax-free.

Removing the exemption would mean imported goods costing up to €150 are no longer automatically free of import tax. Buyers could therefore pay an added charge when ordering from foreign shops, raising the final price. The article says VAT would apply to these parcels. It does not state the final rate or collection procedure.

For example, a €100 order currently covered by the exemption could become taxable after the change. The customer might pay VAT or another charge before delivery, depending on the rules eventually applied. The mechanism is simple: removing the exemption brings the parcel’s value into the tax system.

The Verkhovna Rada approved draft law No. 16051-1 with 252 votes, signaling a shift for online shoppers. However, the source does not provide the exact amount payable, and earlier bills proposing this change were rejected twice. People should expect higher costs on eligible foreign orders, but check implementation rules before calculating a purchase.

Low-value parcel exemptions are often called de minimis rules. They waive tax and routine customs processing when collection costs more than the revenue, while speeding small international purchases. Governments also used them to reduce paperwork for travelers, businesses, and postal services.

A clear example is the United States, which raised its de minimis threshold to $800 in 2016. That allowed many small shipments to enter without duties or formal entry paperwork, supporting online shopping and simpler delivery. The trade-off was harder oversight and concern that sellers could split larger orders into smaller parcels.

Ukraine’s debate shows the policy remains contested. Parliament passed draft law No. 16051-1 with 252 votes, targeting international parcels worth up to €150; lawmakers had twice rejected similar proposals. The change may increase revenue, but also prices and customs workload. The same law cuts rental-property income tax from 18% to 5%, while keeping the 5% military levy.

The bill adds a separate tax cut for people who rent out residential property. It lowers personal income tax from 18% to 5%, while leaving the 5% military levy unchanged. Olena Shuliak proposed this provision, and lawmakers added it to draft law No. 16051-1.

For example, an individual renting out an apartment would pay 5% personal income tax on that rental income instead of 18%. The military levy would still apply separately at 5%. Supporters said the reduction could encourage landlords to declare rentals and help bring the real-estate market out of the shadows.

Parliament passed the bill after 252 lawmakers supported it. The measure was added to legislation concerning taxes on international parcels worth up to €150. Its practical effect is a lower personal income tax bill for landlords, although the article provides no evidence yet about how many people will formally declare rental income.

VAT is a tax on spending, usually added to goods and services, including imports. Personal income tax (PIT) is charged on earnings, such as rent. A military levy is a separate surcharge, while a customs duty is a border charge on imported goods. They differ by what they tax and why: consumption, income, national funding, or trade at the border.

The article gives a useful example. Parliament passed draft law No. 16051-1 with 252 votes, concerning international parcels worth up to €150. This concerns VAT treatment for imports, while the same measure cuts PIT on residential rents from 18% to 5%. The military levy remains 5%, so the rental tax is not simply reduced to zero.

The article says earlier bills twice failed to remove the parcels’ exemption and introduce VAT. It does not give a new customs-duty rate. In practice, customs duties and import VAT are separate border charges, while PIT and military levies apply to people’s income; rates and exemptions depend on the rules.