The Government is looking forward to fruitful collaboration and a constructive dialogue with the Parliament over the State Budget for 2017 in order to improve the efficiency of this financial document and ensure crucial changes in the country. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during the presentation for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the draft State Budget for 2017 at a plenary session of the Parliament on Wednesday.

"I would like to believe that today's presentation will become the beginning of our fruitful cooperation, our constructive dialogue targeting to create a perfect financial document and we’ll do it in synergy. You know people probably got tired of waiting for those actions to make real the development of our country, growth of wages, however all that must be consistent with the state of our national economy", stressed Volodymyr Groysman.

The Head of the Government called on MPs to make constructive proposals and engage in the professional dialogue.

The Prime Minister reminded that the Government had submitted timely the key financial document to the Parliament on 15 September.

"We really wanted very efficient debate with you in the walls of the Ukrainian Parliament about the final version of this Budget. It is important that we have submitted this Budget as absolutely honest, transparent, with good balance of revenues and spendings, containing clear priorities which are based on economic growth, thereby providing the opportunity not just to ensure certain development of our country, but to start restoring social justice, improving welfare standards and wages, particularly for teachers and doctors", said Volodymyr Groysman.

The Prime Minister outlined the main priorities determined by the Government in the draft Budget for next year. In particular, it contains enhanced spending on national security and defense, as well as major reconstruction of road infrastructure of Ukraine, thus triggering the development of the national economy, as well as uncovering of transport potential and logistics capabilities of the country.

The blueprint for the following year contains preserving of financial decentralization and increasing responsibility of local authorities, said Volodymyr Groysman.

Moreover, it is planned to raise wages for teachers by 30% and for doctors – by 20%. In the draft 2017 Budget a system of scholarships for students remains.

The Government took a step to ensure the full supply of medicines for Ukrainian citizens under all programmes that had failed to be implemented before, said the Prime Minister.

In addition, support for national culture and small farms is envisaged and the sum worth UAH 5.5 billion is planned to allocate for these purposes.

Into the draft document the Government also included an increase in expenditures for regional development up to over UAH 9 billion containing the resource of the State Regional Development Fund, subventions for socio-economic development and support for the united territorial communities.