Today, on November 5, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk publicly presented the revised draft State Budget 2020.

“It is not an easy task to create a development budget under current developments. The more so that the current and the next are peak years for paying off and servicing our external obligations. To ensure the proper level of social support and social protection, all our work is aimed at raising the social standards and welfare of every Ukrainian family,” Oleksiy Honcharuk emphasized.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that the formation of the revenues section of the state budget for the first time occurs avoiding raising taxes, but through cutting a deficit in order to reduce the debt burden on the country and the citizens.

“We will have higher earnings inside the country - through reforms, privatization, domestic and foreign investment, and market liberalization. We have budgeted funding for the development, especially regional development: road infrastructure, investment projects. For the defense and security sector in 2020, we have included a 5.45% of GDP. We have started to boost our efficiency by reducing by 10% our expenditures on bureaucracy,” the Prime Minister of Ukraine accentuates.

Oleksiy Honcharuk emphasized that the key idea of Budget 2020 is to support people as the topmost priority for the state and the Government.

“We are creating conditions for the benefit of people and to support people. We provide protection for those who need it most, and we do not interfere with, we provide opportunities for those who are seeking development,” said Oleksiy Honcharuk during the presentation.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine presented the core indicators of the revised document.

In particular, for the 2nd reading in Parliament, the Government has planned the following expenditures in the State Budget for 2020:

Healthcare

"Our mission is not to lose a single life that we can save," said Oleksiy Honcharuk.

Therefore, in 2020, expenditures for emergency medicine will amount to + 109%; in addition, the state will compensate for childbirth expenses, treatment of strokes/heart attacks, etc.

Overall, in 2020, the Government included funding worth UAH 1.9 billion for emergency medicine (in particular, UAH 900 million for ambulance cars + UAH 1 billion for opening of emergency departments), which is twice as much as in 2019;

The expenditures for the Affordable Medicines Program make up for UAH 3.3 billion in 2020, a threefold increase against 2019.

For the procurement of medicines and medical goods for hospitals, there has been budgeted UAH 9.7 billion in 2020, which exceeds 1.5fold the showing of 2019.

Overseas treatment, first of all, it regards transplantation, the funding worth UAH 1.09 billion has been planned, which is 1.5 times more than in 2019.

Social Benefits

"We are working first and foremost for those who need assistance, in particular, sufficient funding has been intended for subsidies," said Oleksiy Honcharuk.

Therefore, the Government budgeted in the draft Budget 2020:

UAH 47.6 billion for subsidies;

UAH 822 million for providing legal assistance to citizens (by UAH 90 million more than in 2019);

UAH 246 million for the social integration of ATO/JFO veterans, which is almost twice as high as in 2019.

Education

“Investment in children is the most profitable investment that we can only afford,” explains the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

In particular, for the first time, the Government planned separate budgeting worth UAH 3.5 billion in 2020 for the Efficient School for Better Results program.

In addition, the Government has included UAH 1.4 billion for the New Ukrainian School (NUS) program in 2020, which exceeds by UAH 200 million the showing of 2019.

Another funding worth UAH 259 million is planned to allocate for the development of vocational training centers, the amounts exceeding by UAH 200 million the indicator budgeted in 2019.

For the first time, UAH 21,000 is included for the annual financial support for young teachers (with under 10 years seniority) to enhance the prestige, support and encourage young people to engage in teaching, particularly in rural schools.

Creative Industries and Culture

“We want to enhance the mobility of Ukrainians and to provide opportunities for them to visit different parts of Ukraine,” Oleksiy Honcharuk comments.

Thus, the Government has included funding by 23% more than in 2019 for the creative industries and cultural development amounting to UAH 5.1 billion.

Youth mobility program was planned for the first time – funding worth UAH 500 million;

For the first time expenditures are planned to develop tourism potential - UAH 240 million.

Summarizing the presentation of the State Budget for 2020, Oleksiy Honcharuk noted that:

UAH 7.4 billion – expenditures for the State Regional Development Fund;

UAH 2 billion – for socio-economic development of regions;

UAH 1.8 billion - for national investment projects + UAH 22.6 billion is the sum we are planning to additionally attract from international partners;

UAH 73.7 billion for infrastructure development (as compared to UAH 54 billion in 2019).