Hetmantsev accuses the Ministry of Digital Transformation of disrupting the launch of eAcces
The launch of the eAccounts system, which was supposed to start on 1 January 2026 and is a key tool to combat the shadow alcohol and tobacco market, has been postponed for almost ten months. This was stated by the Chairman of the Tax Committee of the Verkhovna Rada Danylo Hetmantsev, who blamed the delay on the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
According to him, the software for eAcces was not ready. In order to avoid a shutdown of the excisable goods market, the parliament passed a law to postpone the deadline. The new launch date is set for 1 November 2026
Getmantsev stressed that the postponement has tangible consequences. The state risks further billions of dollars in budget losses due to the shadow turnover of alcohol and tobacco, and legal businesses are in an unequal position, as investments in preparation for the new rules are effectively frozen
The eAcquis project envisages the replacement of paper excise tax stamps with unique DataMatrix codes. This should ensure full traceability of each unit of goods from the manufacturer to the consumer, the ability to verify the legality of products through the Diia app, and automated control of excise tax payments
Earlier in September 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Fedorov admitted that the development of eAccounts was several times more complicated than European analogues and was accompanied by problems with donor funding. Nevertheless, the specialised committee hopes that the system will be fully operational by November 2026
As we reported earlier, Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, believes that the BES should accelerate and bring to a logical conclusion the criminal proceedings that have been investigated by the Bureau for a long time, as shadow schemes in the economy continue to operate. At the same time, in three months, the central office of the BES has not seized a single unit of illegal excisable goods, including alcohol, cigarettes, equipment or raw materials for their production
According to the Growford Institute, the budget loses about UAH 5 billion annually due to the illegal e-cigarette market. The International Monetary Fund has recently emphasised that the fight against shadow schemes and tax avoidance is a key condition for continuing financial support for Ukraine. Ukraine has promised the IMF to step up its de-shadowing efforts, but losses from grey schemes in the excise markets reach 38 billion a year
According to the project «Monitoring of illegal trade in tobacco products in Ukraine», conducted by Kantar Ukraine, the share of illegal tobacco products reached 17.8% against 15.4% in July this year, and budget losses amount to UAH 26.5 billion.
