Hey readers,
I am currently in Uzhorod and let me tell you that the drive here was absolutely amazing. Obviously I have taken advantage of the new roads created for Euro Cup, but the road from L'viv to Uzhorod is mesmerizing. The countryside of Zakarpattia is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and just blew me away. On a different note I interviewed a few people here in Uzhorod because I was interested to see how they feel about Ukraine, being that they are so close to Slovakia and see the EU often. They actually had some really interesting thoughts and recommendations.
First off, almost everybody I have talked to has agreed that they are getting robbed by the government.
Secondly, they can not understand the ridiculous laws that are implemented that not only create corruption but enable it.
Thirdly, they need to go through illegal deals just to survive.
Let me Explain....
The people are being robbed by the government in the simplest of ways. There are a few big dogs sitting on Ukraine like a Sumo Fighter sits on a mouse. An example of these power houses is the owner of Укр-авто. Vasadze, is a auto powerhouse and holds control over the entire car market. The reason he holds power is because he has paid for import laws for vehicles to be over priced and a deterrent for any competition. They have exclusive rights for importation of Mercedes, Mini, along with a few other makes. The best part is if a person wants to import a car for profit, the import will cost so much that not only will the person not be able to afford it but he or she will never be able to sell the car for that price. The people of Uzhorod along with the rest of Ukraine can not grasp how a poorer country than Slovakia can have cars cost 3 times more. Every time a car is bought in Ukraine the government fills their pockets. Just one example of government theft....
The fact that corruption is enabled by the Ukrainian government is perfectly shown in this example and believe me this is only one of thousands. Ukrainian Diaspora always wonders why do Ukrainians pay bribes rather than take a ticket. First, the ticket for speeding, which is practically the only thing you will get pulled over for, is 400 hryvnia (min) which is approximately 1/4 of the average monthly salary. So for the driver it is more economical to give them 50 hryvnia and drive on. Secondly, there is a law which I was just informed about which states that a recording, or a video from a cell phone of a police officer taking a bribe is not viable in court. So you practically need to catch the officer with a movie production camera without him noticing. Obviously these laws are made to force people to pay bribes and in fact have no rights in court.
Now, understanding why many Ukrainians are involved in shady business to survive is really important, because much of Ukraine's prime real estate is controlled again by the political powerhouse oligarchs and people need to live somewhere and somehow. Well with rent and groceries the cost of living in Kyiv for example is 5 to 6 hundred dollars a month.(bare minimum) The average pay is 200 euros a month. Are you making the connection????
Now back to the car import tax and how some people conduct shady business to make a profit. The one good thing about these Oligarchs is that they love to drink and drive fast. Many high end cars end up being totaled. People buy the documents for the car for a mere 5 thousand dollars. Then they buy the same car from Europe or America and with some crafty work change the VIN number to match the documents they purchased. With this process they sneak around the import tax which for a 2008 Toyota would be about 25,000 Euros. At least this way the people can stick it to the MAN...
Although this sort of shady business also fuels the corruption it is inevitable because people need to find away to cover their cost of living.
I feel for the people of Ukraine and to tell you the truth believe that Ukraine's only hope is to change the President or have a revolution because someone needs to have enough BALLS to tell the Power House Oligarchs to F*** off.
I am currently in Uzhorod and let me tell you that the drive here was absolutely amazing. Obviously I have taken advantage of the new roads created for Euro Cup, but the road from L'viv to Uzhorod is mesmerizing. The countryside of Zakarpattia is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and just blew me away. On a different note I interviewed a few people here in Uzhorod because I was interested to see how they feel about Ukraine, being that they are so close to Slovakia and see the EU often. They actually had some really interesting thoughts and recommendations.
First off, almost everybody I have talked to has agreed that they are getting robbed by the government.
Secondly, they can not understand the ridiculous laws that are implemented that not only create corruption but enable it.
Thirdly, they need to go through illegal deals just to survive.
Let me Explain....
The people are being robbed by the government in the simplest of ways. There are a few big dogs sitting on Ukraine like a Sumo Fighter sits on a mouse. An example of these power houses is the owner of Укр-авто. Vasadze, is a auto powerhouse and holds control over the entire car market. The reason he holds power is because he has paid for import laws for vehicles to be over priced and a deterrent for any competition. They have exclusive rights for importation of Mercedes, Mini, along with a few other makes. The best part is if a person wants to import a car for profit, the import will cost so much that not only will the person not be able to afford it but he or she will never be able to sell the car for that price. The people of Uzhorod along with the rest of Ukraine can not grasp how a poorer country than Slovakia can have cars cost 3 times more. Every time a car is bought in Ukraine the government fills their pockets. Just one example of government theft....
The fact that corruption is enabled by the Ukrainian government is perfectly shown in this example and believe me this is only one of thousands. Ukrainian Diaspora always wonders why do Ukrainians pay bribes rather than take a ticket. First, the ticket for speeding, which is practically the only thing you will get pulled over for, is 400 hryvnia (min) which is approximately 1/4 of the average monthly salary. So for the driver it is more economical to give them 50 hryvnia and drive on. Secondly, there is a law which I was just informed about which states that a recording, or a video from a cell phone of a police officer taking a bribe is not viable in court. So you practically need to catch the officer with a movie production camera without him noticing. Obviously these laws are made to force people to pay bribes and in fact have no rights in court.
Now, understanding why many Ukrainians are involved in shady business to survive is really important, because much of Ukraine's prime real estate is controlled again by the political powerhouse oligarchs and people need to live somewhere and somehow. Well with rent and groceries the cost of living in Kyiv for example is 5 to 6 hundred dollars a month.(bare minimum) The average pay is 200 euros a month. Are you making the connection????
Now back to the car import tax and how some people conduct shady business to make a profit. The one good thing about these Oligarchs is that they love to drink and drive fast. Many high end cars end up being totaled. People buy the documents for the car for a mere 5 thousand dollars. Then they buy the same car from Europe or America and with some crafty work change the VIN number to match the documents they purchased. With this process they sneak around the import tax which for a 2008 Toyota would be about 25,000 Euros. At least this way the people can stick it to the MAN...
Although this sort of shady business also fuels the corruption it is inevitable because people need to find away to cover their cost of living.
I feel for the people of Ukraine and to tell you the truth believe that Ukraine's only hope is to change the President or have a revolution because someone needs to have enough BALLS to tell the Power House Oligarchs to F*** off.
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