The Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) has estimated that decriminalizing pornography could add more than UAH 500 million in tax revenues to Ukraine’s state budget.
According to BRDO estimates, about 5,000 people work in webcam modeling in Ukraine and more than 3,500 sell content on OnlyFans. Their average monthly income is about $1,650, including beginners and part-time workers. The amount of income also takes into account the commission of the studio where the model works. The BRDO assumes that decriminalization of pornography will cover 100% of the webcam modeling market and 50% of OnlyFans authors.
Currently, creators of adult content in Ukraine face criminal prosecution under Article 301 of the Criminal Code. At the same time, authors of pornographic materials are required to pay taxes for their activities. Decriminalization of pornography and regulation of taxation in this area can provide the budget with UAH 509 million in additional taxes. To do this, it is necessary to adopt draft law No. 12191 and ensure cooperation between the State Tax Service and the Bureau of Economic Security.
According to BRDO estimates, decriminalization of porn will bring additional taxes to the state budget annually in the amount of approximately UAH 509 million. These funds are enough to finance the following initiatives:
- purchase of 24 thousand VYRIY PRO 10 FPV drones with auto-guidance and rechargeable batteries;
- a year of operation of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (UAH 507 million according to the approved state budget for 2025);
- a year of support for the program to reduce the cost of loans for military-industrial enterprises (UAH 500 million according to the approved state budget for 2025).
«Every year, Ukraine’s budget loses up to half a billion hryvnias. These funds are important for the martial law economy. But decriminalizing porn is not just about taxes. It’s also about the lives of people who are prosecuted for adult content. Adoption of the draft law No. 12191 can solve several issues at once,” commented Ihor Samokhodskyi, Head of the ICT Sector at the BRDO.
We would like to add that the initiative to decriminalize pornography has recently intensified in Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada has already registered the relevant draft law No. 9623. And today, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reportedThe Law Enforcement Committee supported another draft law on this issue, No. 12191. Eleven MPs agreed to support it as a basis, while two abstained.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak added that this is a more conservative version, and it has been prepared for more than a year in discussion with the committee and the working group. In fact, the document amends Article 301 of the Criminal Code so that adults are not imprisoned for 3-5 years for making and distributing videos of an intimate nature «. Storage of adult content will also not be a reason for imprisonment if the bill is passed.
«So that people are not thrown in jail for storing content or conducting massive «secret purchases» on webcams) And at the same time, now under Article 301, you can be punished even for storing nude photos on your personal phone»,” Yaroslav Zheleznyak writes.
Draft law No. 12191 will be finalized for the second reading. Yaroslav Zheleznyak expects that the Verkhovna Rada will be able to start considering the document in the session hall early next year.
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