Jaresko says law-enforcement, defense agencies ask for additional UAH 17 bln
Ukrainian law-enforcement and defense agencies have sent a request to the Finance Ministry of Ukraine asking for the allocation of an additional UAH 17 billion, according to Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko.
"We've already received requests for UAH 17 billion from the agencies in charge of defense and law-She said the situation surrounding the budget can't be described as easy, adding that the budget had previously been able to collect receipts due to a temporary and sharp weakening of the hryvnia.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said in turn that the mentioned sum includes UAH 8.5 billion requested by the Defense Ministry.
He instructed Jaresko to set up an ad hoc group with ministers and lawmakers to "check what is in fact available – whether additional sources of revenue could be found or other spending needs to be reduced to finance the Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian army."
"Public discussions will have to be arranged to put away, among other things, populist statements ahead of the [local] elections about the need for adjusting [wages to the consumer price index]. Let them show us what expense it could be carried out at. In the first place, the country should finance national security and defense," he said.
Jaresko expressed her readiness to create such a group which would involve representatives of all state agencies and MPs from the parliamentary coalition "to seek for a reduction by all managers of the budget in all expenses wherever it is possible.
"What is more, the State Fiscal Service should be commissioned to boost payments to the budget due to the closure of the [so-called] tax pits [tax-related frauds, usually with VAT], contraction of the shadow economy and smuggling across the border," she added.