Overview
- IMF staff will travel to Kyiv in the coming weeks to conduct the first review of the four-year loan program.
- The mission will assess steps to widen the tax base and move a large shadow economy, estimated near 45% of GDP, into the formal sector.
- Further payouts in 2026 totaling about $3.8 billion depend on successful reviews, with $1.5 billion already released at approval in February.
- Kyiv is weighing tax measures under the program, including VAT on low-value parcels from abroad and a levy for the self-employed, and lawmakers have advanced a bill to tax digital platforms.
- IMF officials say the reforms would help cover heavy wartime financing needs and support Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership.