Petro Poroshenko Comments on His Emotional Speech in the Verkhovna Rada

Petro Poroshenko, the fifth president of Ukraine and leader of the European Solidarity party, addressed his emotional speech in the Verkhovna Rada that took place on April 7, just before the vote on a law to extend the military tax. On April 8, the politician published a video recording of his reaction on his Facebook page.

"Yesterday, my speech in the Verkhovna Rada, which included a list of government programs for spending state budget funds, particularly the military tax, exploded on social media. We managed to reach out to them and ensure that the funds from the military tax are directed towards the needs of the brigades. If you do not spend money on the Armed Forces, then, dear authorities, you will face pitching, facting, checking, and even a full *back," Poroshenko stated, emphasizing the importance of proper budgetary spending.

During his speech on April 7 from the parliamentary podium, Poroshenko used terms such as "f*cking, checking, *baking," commenting on the practice of utilizing funds obtained through the military tax. In his view, this practice did not align with the stated goals, which sparked his outrage.

"The problem is not with the law, the problem lies in how the state approaches decision-making. The issue is trust because this law was initially proposed by my government during my term in office. But now you are being deceived, as the law was initially called a military tax, but it was directed towards f*cking, checking, *baking, and other populist nonsense," Poroshenko noted, expressing his concern regarding the dishonest use of budgetary funds.

It is worth recalling that on April 7, the Verkhovna Rada made the decision to extend the military tax for three years following the end of the war. This decision became a structural beacon for the new financing program of the International Monetary Fund. A total of 257 deputies voted in favor of bill No. 15110.

According to the explanatory note to bill No. 15110, it provides for the extension of the provisions regarding the obligation to pay the military tax, which were introduced during the period of martial law in Ukraine. Specifically, for individuals, the tax rate will be 5%, while for individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) who pay a single tax in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th groups, the rate will be 10% based on one minimum wage as of the first day of the current month (in 2026, this will be 850 UAH). For single tax payers in the third group (FOPs and legal entities, except for electronic residents), the rate will be 1% of income. This extension will remain in effect for three years following the year in which martial law is terminated or canceled in Ukraine.