"The jobs of drivers and miners are the most dangerous jobs in Ukraine, according to conclusions made in a report by the State Service of Ukraine on Mining Supervision and Industrial Safety regarding the level of injuries and deaths reported at enterprises in 2010, UKRINFORM reported, referring to the Delo newspaper.
In general, 644 people died in industrial accidents last year, in particular, 120 drivers, 114 miners, as well as engineers, technicians and builders."
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Doing Business in Ukraine
The Kyiv Post has another great interview today:
"In September, the State Customs Administration accused the plant of being a coal smuggler, as it claimed that ArcelorMittal failed to pay Hr 200 million ($25 million) worth of customs duties on its imported coal, arresting nearly 67,000 tons of coal in question at ports. This case was dropped last December, only to give way to headaches.
Recently, tax authorities accused ArcelorMittal’s plant in Ukraine of more than $50 million in tax violations. But Russian-native Rinat Starkov, appointed ArcelorMittal’s generaldDirector in Ukraine, says his biggest headache is the state tax administration’s inability to refund value added tax on time and in full.
Government debts to the plant as of Jan. 1, he said, totaled Hr 2.3 billion, the biggest amount owed to any business in Ukraine. Starkov is also not happy that ArcelorMittal has had to make more than Hr 1 billion in advance tax payments to help Ukraine cover a budget shortfall. In addition, dealing with inspections from various controlling bodies, which the company faces on a daily basis, has become a daily routine."
And a rather embarrassing comparison with Russia:
"Things like that are impossible in Russia, and in the West, where I worked for the last four years. It’s really difficult for [ArcelorMittal’s management in London] to understand what is really going on here. Russia had similar problems, but that was 10 years ago."
"In September, the State Customs Administration accused the plant of being a coal smuggler, as it claimed that ArcelorMittal failed to pay Hr 200 million ($25 million) worth of customs duties on its imported coal, arresting nearly 67,000 tons of coal in question at ports. This case was dropped last December, only to give way to headaches.
Recently, tax authorities accused ArcelorMittal’s plant in Ukraine of more than $50 million in tax violations. But Russian-native Rinat Starkov, appointed ArcelorMittal’s generaldDirector in Ukraine, says his biggest headache is the state tax administration’s inability to refund value added tax on time and in full.
Government debts to the plant as of Jan. 1, he said, totaled Hr 2.3 billion, the biggest amount owed to any business in Ukraine. Starkov is also not happy that ArcelorMittal has had to make more than Hr 1 billion in advance tax payments to help Ukraine cover a budget shortfall. In addition, dealing with inspections from various controlling bodies, which the company faces on a daily basis, has become a daily routine."
And a rather embarrassing comparison with Russia:
"Things like that are impossible in Russia, and in the West, where I worked for the last four years. It’s really difficult for [ArcelorMittal’s management in London] to understand what is really going on here. Russia had similar problems, but that was 10 years ago."
Friday, February 25, 2011
Maradonna Ukraine's coach
The latest candidate to coach Ukraine's national team seems to be Diego Maradonna. Clearly, this job must be well paid...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Surrogate Parents II
Wasnt Elton John unable to adopt a Ukrainian orphan? This story of a Belgian gay couple seems to suggest some are able to do it, but how they did it seems rather typical for Ukraine.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Money and Football
If a major oligarch puts his full weight behind a football club, this is what you get:
"The International Federation of Football History and Statistics has named FC Shakhtar Donetsk the world's most improved team of the 1st decade of the 21st century."
If at some point this oligarch will spend as much on a Ukrainian educational institution as he spent on Shakthar, then we would very fast see a similar increase of that Ukrainian educational institution in the international educational rankings.
"The International Federation of Football History and Statistics has named FC Shakhtar Donetsk the world's most improved team of the 1st decade of the 21st century."
If at some point this oligarch will spend as much on a Ukrainian educational institution as he spent on Shakthar, then we would very fast see a similar increase of that Ukrainian educational institution in the international educational rankings.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Press Freedom
Ukraine ranks 131st in terms of press freedom, a substantial deterioration since last year, according to the index of the Reporters without Borders. It is kind of hard to believe though that the press would be more free in Zimbabwe...
Toppling Leaders
This site has betting odds reflecting the chance a leader of a country gets thrown out - Yanukovich clearly can continue to sleep soundly.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Making TV in Russia
A very interesting account of a Westerner trying to make TV films in Russia can be found here
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Price Controls and Queues
A few days ago I posted a blog with examples of how price controls seemed to lead to further output declines and ultimately could lead to rationing. On Feb 9, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov said the following in a speech:
"Dear Colleagues.
I want special attention paid to the members of the Government those issues that determine quality of life in our country.
First of all, it is a situation on the food market. I have already said that the dire food world environment, the further the more pressure on the domestic market. The only solution here - increasing domestic production of all that is necessary for food security and price stability. At the same time we have to constantly deal with purely speculative implications on the domestic market.
February 3, 2011 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the producers of sugar and sunflower oil, which provide stabilization of prices in these market segments of food products. As a result, we have some positive changes.
Yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the producers of grains of buckwheat, which provides fixed wholesale price for this type of grains.
Generally, this will give the opportunity to compile consumer price of buckwheat in sufficient levels. In fact, most retailers have buckwheat has declined in value.
However, this week we are faced with the absurd situation where supermarkets in the capital began to limit the number of products that can be purchased by one buyer. "
Hopefully, they'll become aware at some point that these two things can be related - and that rather than trying to control the price administratively, it makes more sense to try to stimulate competition.
"Dear Colleagues.
I want special attention paid to the members of the Government those issues that determine quality of life in our country.
First of all, it is a situation on the food market. I have already said that the dire food world environment, the further the more pressure on the domestic market. The only solution here - increasing domestic production of all that is necessary for food security and price stability. At the same time we have to constantly deal with purely speculative implications on the domestic market.
February 3, 2011 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the producers of sugar and sunflower oil, which provide stabilization of prices in these market segments of food products. As a result, we have some positive changes.
Yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the producers of grains of buckwheat, which provides fixed wholesale price for this type of grains.
Generally, this will give the opportunity to compile consumer price of buckwheat in sufficient levels. In fact, most retailers have buckwheat has declined in value.
However, this week we are faced with the absurd situation where supermarkets in the capital began to limit the number of products that can be purchased by one buyer. "
Hopefully, they'll become aware at some point that these two things can be related - and that rather than trying to control the price administratively, it makes more sense to try to stimulate competition.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Working More
The Ukrainian MPs like their work so much they have decided to guarantee themselves an extra year in the Parliament
Influential Economists
The Economist asked some economists about whom they thought were the important economists of the last years - their answers can be found here
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