In Ukraine, it is not the first time that a situation arises when bills of great economic importance get stuck in the Office of the President, as a result of which the budget loses millions of hryvnias. One of the vivid examples is the delay in signing draft law No. 11416-d, which provided for a historic increase in taxes for the majority of Ukrainians. This law was supposed to enter into force on October 1 and provide budget revenues in the amount of UAH 30 billion by the end of 2024 to finance the war. However, after a 40-day wait, it only entered into force on December 1, and some of its provisions became relevant only from the beginning of 2025.
Such delays are not isolated cases. Separately, it is worth mentioning the draft law on the advance payment of distilleries, which, despite the fact that it was approved by the Verkhovna Rada in a record short time, was waiting for the President's signature for more than two months. Only at the end of December, Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed this law, which should close the tax evasion scheme at distilleries.
Another example is draft law No. 11090, which provided for an increase in excise taxes on tobacco products. This document, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on December 9, was also not signed on time and remained in the President's Office for almost a month. All these delays lead to significant budget losses. For example, the delay in signing the bill on excise taxes cost the budget about UAH 126 million, which could have been directed to the needs of the army.
These phenomena in Ukraine have already received the name "silent veto", when the president deliberately delays the signing of draft laws contrary to constitutional requirements. Although the President's Office explains this by the need to carefully study each document, analysts and deputies, in particular Yaroslav Zheleznyak from the "Voice" faction, believe that these delays are often connected with the influence of lobbyists who try to postpone the introduction of changes that are economically unpleasant for business.
In general, according to estimates, as a result of such delays, the budget of Ukraine loses significant amounts. For example, for the tobacco industry, the delay in signing the bill cost the budget more than UAH 25 million per day.
Despite the fact that the Constitution of Ukraine provides 15 days for the signing of draft laws, in the practice of Ukrainian presidents this requirement is often not fulfilled. According to experts, such a situation is impossible without changes to the Basic Law, as the unclear wording allows decisions to be made at one's discretion.
