Ukraine to face its 'graft culture' under aid plan
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- A hairstyling business closes four salons rather than deal with crooked officials. An independent salesman hustling paint from the trunk of his car faces a $5 million tax penalty. A humble crafts stall gives up after taxes increase ten-fold overnight.
That's the world of small business in Ukraine - a tangled thicket of bribe-hungry government inspectors and complicated, unpredictable regulations.
Reducing graft and red tape are set to be part of the conditions Ukraine will face in exchange for an international financial rescue package. Officials in Kiev are expected to wrap up talks with the International Monetary Fund as soon as Tuesday.
Yet it will take some doing. Ukraine's culture of corruption and bureaucracy is deeply entrenched.
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