AUCCRO and the Ministry of Finance Discussed the Nonprofit Status of Religious Organizations

Members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations held a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the State Tax Service. The parties discussed issues related to the non-profit status of religious organizations, changes to tax legislation, as well as the challenges of restoring church buildings damaged by Russian strikes.

According to the press service of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, the key topic of the meeting was specific provisions of the draft law on amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine. The document is being drafted by the Ministry of Finance to bring tax legislation into line with Law of Ukraine No. 4196-IX of January 9, 2025 “On the Specifics of Regulating the Activities of Legal Entities of Certain Organizational and Legal Forms During the Transition Period and Associations of Legal Entities.”

The meeting participants focused on how the proposed changes could affect the non-profit status of religious organizations. Following the discussion, representatives of religious associations, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Tax Service agreed to continue the dialogue on the relevant draft law. Separately, the parties considered issues related to the non-profit status of social institutions of religious organizations.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is considering the possibility of introducing a European model for financing religious communities, which would allow citizens to independently allocate a portion of their taxes to support churches of their choice. According to Nikita Poturaev, chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, such an initiative will become relevant after the war ends and victory is achieved.