Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko stated the need to develop the National Revenue Strategy, which is discussed in the program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, is associated with Ukraine's high current dependence on foreign aid and the need to reduce it in the future.

"Why is the National Revenue Strategy necessary at all? Because we are now 50% dependent on external assistance. Ukraine cannot live like this, it cannot! … The National Revenue Strategy aims to create conditions for the income base within the country in order to reduce external dependence," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The minister added that another important task of the strategy is to establish fairness in terms of taxation.

"Those who have income must pay taxes without all sorts of preferential regimes," Marchenko explained.

He clarified that according to the agreements with the IMF, an appropriate action plan should be prepared in May, while the strategy itself should be adopted before the end of the year.

"I don't see any problems with the documents that the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank should prepare - we are ready to move quickly," he said.