“Didn’t serve – pay tax for life”: a new financial burden was introduced for tax evaders

Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, has expressed a critical position that has sparked a lively reaction in society. He believes that Ukrainians who deliberately avoided military service during the war should serve their full term of military duty. Lutsenko argues for this idea, saying that this mechanism would be fair to use to compensate those who participated in hostilities to defend the country.

“Deterrents should financially cover the costs of treating the wounded for the rest of their lives, because they did not want to fight,” Lutsenko noted.

He added that evading service cannot go unpunished. The state spends significant funds on the treatment of military personnel, rehabilitation, and payments to the families of the deceased, so those who evade duty should be responsible for financing these costs.

The military levy rate in Ukraine ranges from 1.5% to 5% of income, and Lutsenko’s proposal involves creating a lifetime contribution for those who have not served in the army. The politician believes this will not be a punishment but rather a fair step in favor of those who paid a high price for defending Ukraine.