On June 15, the presentation of the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” portal functionality on the inspections.gov.ua platform and the handbook “Easy Inspections: A Business Guide” designed to simplify the preparation of entrepreneurs for visits of state inspections was held at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center (UCMC).
Both tools were developed at the initiative of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine program and in cooperation with the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) and EasyBusiness while being completely free for users.
The Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Dmytro Romanovych, the Ukrainian deputy Yaroslav Rushchyshyn and the Acting Chairman of the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine Oleh Miroshnychenko participated in the presentation and panel discussion “State inspections: Surviving with/without hiding”.
“As long as our entrepreneurs do not feel comfortable in Ukraine, foreign investors will not come here. Business needs to be trusted. I am convinced that there should be the presumption of innocence in the process of state inspections,” the Ukrainian deputy Yaroslav Rushchyshyn said.
He added that “violations and even underpayment of taxes to the state budget cannot be considered in terms of criminal law, as it is an additional mechanism of abuse and pressure on businesses. Entrepreneurs must have their local offices to defend business rights and local authorities have the powers to protect them”.
Dmytro Romanovych, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, said:
“The ministry’s goal is to complete the transition to a risk-oriented model of conducting business inspections. We strive to make inspection activities more service-oriented and justified. We are working in the area of deregulation to reduce the requirements for business and the number and quality of inspections, as well as towards changing approaches to risk assessment and consumer protection.”
Oleksii Dorohan, CEO of the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), explained why business assistance tools were being introduced: “We are changing the rules to make it easier for businesses to operate in Ukraine. Why are we fighting bureaucracy? Ukraine has inherited outdated and corrupt mechanisms that hinder business and do not help it in any way.”
“In addition to corruption, the main problem is that entrepreneurs are left on their own to deal with inspectors who better understand rules and violations, and therefore, the business loses in any case. That is, inspections served as a way to hunt down entrepreneurs. We would like to ensure that entrepreneurs are on an equal footing with inspectors while being informed of what to do before, during, and after state inspections. Our new online services for entrepreneurs may help,” Oleksiy Dorohan said.
Who can use the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” and the Handbook?
Everyone who is faced with state inspections – that is, business owners.
In most cases, entrepreneurs usually cannot afford to use the services of professional lawyers, or they do not always know for sure when state inspections of their business will take place, how to prepare for them, what to focus on during inspections and how to protect themselves from possible illegal actions of inspectors. The “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” and Handbook “Easy Inspections: A Business Guide” are designed to address these issues.
Where to find the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” and Handbook “Easy Inspections: A Business Guide”?
Both tools can be found on the Inspection Portal at inspections.gov.ua/ready4/. If a user does not know the exact web address of the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” and Handbook “Easy Inspections: A Business Guide”, there will be an information banner linking to the necessary page on the Inspection portal inspections.gov.ua.
What information can you find in the handbook?
“Easy Inspections: A Business Guide” is a step-by-step instruction for business on how to pass state inspections conducted by supervisory authorities. By answering the questions in the step-by-step scheme, entrepreneurs will be able to identify their current stage of inspection.
The handbook gives instructions on how entrepreneurs can act at three stages: before during and after the inspections. Each stage is an exhaustive list of steps that entrepreneurs should go through to move on to the next stage.
- Each step is a separate handbook section fully describing the algorithm of the entrepreneur’s actions during the inspection. Each step includes:
- Clearly explained legislative requirements on this or that issue.
- Algorithm of actions. Some questions that entrepreneurs need to answer at every step. It will then be clear whether it is possible to continue the inspection or whether it is necessary to file a complaint/appeal to the supervisory authority.
- Practical advice. Detailed advice from a lawyer on how to behave at every step.
- Useful links. References to source materials, in case, if entrepreneurs need to learn more about the laws.
- Examples of documents. Sample documents with the explanation of what they should contain under law.
The handbook will help entrepreneurs learn in what way inspections should be conducted under the law and how to act if something goes wrong.
How the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” can be used ?
For the convenience of users, the portal functionality is divided into tools and recommendations to be used before, during, and after inspections. Advanced features are presented in a personal profile that can be created by each entrepreneur using the EDRPOU code. There you can see the information on your company and a plan of scheduled and unscheduled inspections. Additionally:
Before the inspection, users will be able to:
- find out whether their business will be inspected and when to expect inspectors
- independently assess the risk category of their companies
- check whether supervisory authorities have unified forms of acts
By using the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant”, during the inspection, users can make sure:
- whether inspectors have grounds to inspect their business
- what steps should be taken by inspectors before and during the inspection under the law
After the inspection, the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” will advise how to:
- make sure that the act and administrative documents are prepared properly
- evaluate the inspector’s work
- file an appeal against the inspector’s actions and inspection results, if necessary
The developers have provided a Telegram bot with tips for prompt user consultation. It can also be useful during inspections.
For detailed information and comments, please contact: Yuliia Reshitko, Communications Sector Head at the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), +380509979360
#Ready4inspections #EasyPerevirka
Additionally, it is planned to hold an online training on using the “Entrepreneur’s Assistant” on July 2. To make it easier for entrepreneurs to use the service, we will explain the rules for working with the tool step by step through videoconference.
You can register at https://bit.ly/3e40m3z