Cabinet increases expenditures in revised 2019 state budget draft

The 2019 State Budget draft revised and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers for the second reading in the Verkhovna Rada, provides for expenditures at UAH 1.112 trillion ($40,3 billion), which is UAH 17.762 billion ($644.2 million), or 1.6%, more than estimated in the original draft.

The annex to the draft published on Parliament's website says the largest hikes in spending will be seen at the Ministry of Education and Science (UAH 4.287 bln, or $155.6 mln), the Ministry of Health (UAH 2.042 bln, or $74.1 mln), the Ministry of Defense (UAH 1.045 bln, or $37.9 mln), the State Road Agency (UAH 926 mln, or $33.6 mln), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (UAH 795 mln, or $28.8 mln).

Read alsoRevised 2019 budget draft boats $648 mln revenue increase

There are also certain adjustments regarding subsidies to the population: while previously, the Ministry of Finance was in charge of subventions from the state budget to local budgets for providing benefits and subsidies to the population in the amount of UAH 55.096 billion (almost $2 billion), the revised draft appoints the manager of these funds the Ministry of Social Policy, which provides for UAH 35.096 billion ($1.27 billion) on subventions to local budgets and UAH 20 billion ($725 million) for cash payments of benefits and subsidies to citizens.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft of the state budget of Ukraine for 2019, adjusted ahead of the second reading.

Ukrainian Parliament approved the state budget in the first reading on Oct 18.

According to Minister Oleksandr Saenko, the Rada will consider the revised draft state budget on Nov 22.