Tobacco concessions ranked second among customs preferences in September 2026
In September 2026 exemptions from customs duties on the import of tobacco raw materials for cigarette production amounted to 4.4 billion UAH or 11.8% of all concessions granted during import clearance. This fact was pointed out by Member of Parliament Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk.
This figure was the second-largest among all customs preferences after defence goods. At the same time, total concessions during import clearance in September reached 37.1 billion UAH, while budget revenues for the month amounted to 75.2 billion UAH. Compared with September 2025, the volume of concessions grew by 41.6%.
How the largest categories of customs concessions were distributed in September
The breakdown shows that defence goods account for the majority of concessions, but unexpected sectors sit close behind. Tobacco for the production of tobacco products and equipment for restoring the energy sector were almost equal in terms of concession amounts.
- Defence goods — 23.4 billion UAH, or 62.9% of the total.
- Tobacco for the production of tobacco products in Ukraine — 4.4 billion UAH, or 11.8%.
- Equipment for restoration and repair of energy infrastructure — 4.3 billion UAH, or 11.5%.
- Exemptions from import duty under free trade agreements — 3.4 billion UAH, or 9%.
- Other concessions provided for by law — 1.8 billion UAH, or 4.8%.
The amount of concessions for tobacco exceeded those under free trade agreements and was almost the same as for equipment to repair the energy sector. This structure shows that preferences are not always targeted exclusively at critical infrastructure.
Concessions in the first nine months and the nature of the aid
For January–September 2026 the total amount of customs concessions during import clearance amounted to 318.8 billion UAH. This is 92.8 billion UAH, or 41.4%, more than in the same period of 2025 and indicates a significant rise in preferences this year.
This refers specifically to exemptions from customs payments during import as provided for by law, not to direct budget payments to tobacco companies. Nevertheless, the scale of concessions for tobacco raw materials makes this category one of the leading customs preferences, even compared with support for the energy sector. Earlier we wrote that Ukraine and the Czech Republic are preparing new concessions for business and explained who may benefit from tax and customs exemptions.
