The Ukrainian production “Miroplast”, in which 40.3 million dollars of foreign investments have been invested, suffers from the arbitrariness of Ukrainian customs officers.
According to Channel 24 , the raw materials for the profile, from which a third of windows and doors are made in Ukraine, were not allowed through by customs officers because of the requirements to pay duty not at the actual cost of the goods for the month, but at the highest rate for the year.
What is known about the plant “Miroplast”
In the 2000s, the founders of the company became one of the first foreign investors who believed in the economic potential of Ukraine.
In total, over $40.3 million was invested in Miroplast. Today, the plant is the leader in the production of PVC profiles in the country, introduces currency from 13 countries to Ukraine, provides 30% of the market, more than 200 jobs and has already paid more than 1.1 billion hryvnia in taxes over the period of its existence.
When the plant just started working in Ukraine, the window market consisted of 95% of imported profiles. Now, on the contrary, 80% are profiles of Ukrainian production.
Miroplast is the market leader in PVC profiles in Ukraine, constantly increasing its production capacity / Photo by Miroplast
What is the essence of the problem
PVC, which the plant is forced to import because it is no longer produced in Ukraine, is an exchange commodity, the price of which fluctuates constantly. So, 2 years ago, a ton of PVC cost $2,000, in August 2022 – $1,010. In February of this year, the price dropped to $730. It is this value that is evidenced by the American trader Tricon Energy, the second largest chemical distributor in the world, with which Miroplast cooperates.
However, customs officers ignore this data and require the company to pay taxes not at the current cost of raw materials for the month, but at the highest rate for the year. In response to the refusal, cargo blocking began.
As a result, the plant was not able to receive raw materials on time and was forced to reduce production. So, in November, the company underproduced about 200 tons of products, – said the general director of Miroplast.
This means that thousands of sites across the country were unable to receive windows and doors in a timely manner.
What's next
The plant has already won one court of first instance on illegal actions of customs, the next ones are in line.
As of today, the customs officers missed the company's cargo. But, given that this is not an isolated case, management is preparing for new surprises. In order to protect Ukrainian producers from the arbitrariness of Ukrainian customs officers, Miroplast appealed to the president.
If this is the only way today to replenish the country's budget, we understand. But we want the same conditions for all market players, – said the general director of the Miroplast company in his address to the president.
Appeal of Miroplast to the President of Ukraine: watch the video
