ELENA ZHUKOVA: «FOR ME, TAX CONSULTING IS A REAL ART!»

She was named Lawyer of the Year 2021 in the Tax Law category by the Ukrainian Advocates Association. Olena ZHUKOVA talks about her love for taxes and audits and reveals the secrets of how she managed to become a leader in her field.

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- The war changed the lives of all Ukrainians. Tell us, how did the year of war affect you? What did it teach you?

- I left the country in February and am now abroad, but my company is still working and I am managing it. We are increasing volumes, hiring new employees, and even raising salaries. What has this year and the war taught you? Probably that people are the most precious thing and that everything can be overcome! From the very beginning of my life, I have had a life rule or principle: if you have a failure or a minus in something, you have to cross it out! And the bigger the minus, the bigger the plus!

- Let’s talk about your new projectCFCs - controlled foreign companies. What are they?

- These are foreign companies established by Ukrainians outside of Ukraine. This concept can include both offshore and regular enterprises. We plan to continue to provide a full range of CFC services and resolve any issues related to this - accounting, tax, audit, and legal. We welcome all clients who need advice in this area.

- Olena, what other projects are you implementing and how can we contact you?

- We are currently working on two very interesting projects related to royalties in the context of transfer pricing. We also have programs on international structuring in connection with the introduction of the concept of CFCs in the legislation.

You can order our services through the website - saivena.com, or by e-mail –info@saivena.com. We also have an office in Kyiv.

- Olena, you have 15 years of legal experience and 25 years of audit experience. Tell us why you chose this path and how difficult was it to stay at the top?

- I have three higher education degrees. Immediately after graduation, I designed transformers, then worked as a chief accountant, and in the early 90s I started my first business, a construction company. Later, I moved to Kyiv – I wanted something more. So in 1999, I got an auditor’s certificate and then an economics degree. That’s when the auditing firm «Saivena Audit» was born. And later I also received a law degree.

You know, I love and know taxes, both from an economic and legal point of view and from the position of an accountant, auditor, and entrepreneur. It is interesting to me, and I look at taxes as an art. My view on this matter is deeper than that of ordinary specialists. I consider all problems in layers. And analytical and mathematical thinking allows me to admire complex tax problems from clients and helps me to solve them successfully.

All this resulted in writing a book (as part of the author’s team) – «Transfer Pricing: Ukrainian

- I know that you returned to Ukraine in the summer of 2022. When do you want to come back again?

- I am currently abroad. But I am not one of those who left and want to stay here forever. I will return, and I plan to do so in the spring or summer of this year. And of course, we are all waiting for our victory!

- Tell us about your hobbies. What are your hobbies outside of work?

- I love India and have backpacked across the country. In addition, I visited Tibet and fulfilled a long-held dream of walking the Kora around Kailas (the holiest and most mystical place on our planet). Now I am exploring historical Turkey and am fascinated by archeology. I also want to go hiking in the historical corners of this country.

Facebook: Елена Жукова (elena.zhukova.39) E.zhukova@saivena.com info@saivena.com