How to raise parents
Kyiv hosts traditional competition “Taxes through children’s eyes”
On July 11 the State Tax Administration of Ukraine (DPA) selected the winners of the annual nationwide competition “Taxes through children’s eyes.” It has become clear that the campaign, whose official goal is to instill the culture of paying taxes in the younger generation, should also target parents by making them feel ashamed in front of their more tax-conscious children.
To express their understanding of this complex subject, children submitted compositions, drawings, and handmade decorative items. The jury, which included representatives of the State Tax Administration, educators, and art critics, painstakingly analyzed the submissions, paying close attention to the differences among the following age groups: 6- 8, 9-12, and 13-15.
Why are children being encouraged to think about taxes? Viktor Kosarchuk, head of the Public Relations Department at the DPA and a jury member, says that the competition is not aimed at turning these children into future tax inspectors. “What we want is to raise conscientious taxpayers in Ukraine in order to reduce the shadow economy,” he said.
But will children retain their positive views on taxes until such time as they start paying income tax? “We have great hopes that the children who are participating in the competition in the senior age groups will abide by the new Tax Code - a single, expertly written, and unified tax law replacing the previous 2,500 laws and decrees - which will create equal conditions both for taxpayers and tax official...Such a bill has been prepared and submitted to parliament,” Kosarchuk said.
Ivan Malkovych, the managing director of the children’s publishing house “A-ba-ba-ha-la-ma-ha” and another jury member, agrees with Kosarchuk. He wants to believe that 99 percent of these children will to on to become both good taxpayers and good parents, who will teach their offspring to pay their taxes. As far as artistic expression is concerned, Malkovych said, the children did an excellent job and adopted an extremely global and creative approach to the topic. “The combination of arithmetic knowledge and vivid imagery can produce something very interesting,” Malkovych said.
Even though the children explored the subject of taxes through somewhat naive drawings and miniature poems entitled “Paying Taxes Leads to Order” and “Paying Taxes Leads to Prosperity,” the jury was favorably impressed. The jury chose three winners in each category, and a few children received special awards. The prizewinners will be vacationing in Yevpatoria in August, and the awards ceremony will be held in September.
