European Solidarity submits bills to raise military pay
The European Solidarity faction has registered bills No. 15177 and No. 15138-1 in the Verkhovna Rada that would allow higher payments to Ukrainian defenders as early as the second half of this year, the party said on its website on Wednesday.
"All funds received from the military levy must be credited to the special fund and spent solely and exclusively on supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely on increasing and indexing monetary support for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," MP and European Solidarity leader Petro Poroshenko said at a briefing.
Bill No. 15177 proposes supplementing the law on Ukraine's 2026 state budget with the following article: "It shall be established that from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026, as an exception to the provisions of paragraph 1-2 of part two of Article 29 of the Budget Code of Ukraine, the military levy paid (transferred) in accordance with paragraph 16-1 of subsection 10 of section XX of the Tax Code of Ukraine shall be credited in full to the special fund of the State Budget of Ukraine and directed to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for increasing monetary support payments to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
Bill No. 15138-1 proposes amendments to Articles 29 and 30 of the Budget Code of Ukraine providing for the inclusion of the military levy in the revenues of the special fund of the state budget, to be used exclusively for the annual indexation of monetary support payments to servicemen. These provisions are to come into force from the beginning of 2027.
"In 2025, revenues from the military levy to the state budget amounted to UAH 163.6 billion, while UAH 198.3 billion is planned for 2026. However, under the Budget Code of Ukraine, revenues from the military levy are credited to the general fund of the state budget and do not have targeted use for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine... To bring budget legislation into line with the adopted provision, it is necessary to amend the Budget Code of Ukraine to include the military levy in the revenues of the special fund of the state budget, with its subsequent allocation to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," according to the explanatory note.
Both bills were registered on April 13.
Poroshenko said revenues from the military levy to the state budget are constantly increasing year by year, while monetary support for the military stands at UAH 20,000 and has not changed since 2022.
"Every time we meet with the military, the main question is: why is monetary support not being indexed? Prices are rising, inflation is rising, and for four years there has been no increase. Prices in Ukraine have risen by more than 50%, but monetary support for servicemen has not. That is why we demand that this injustice be removed," the MP said.
He also noted that the total amount of Defense Ministry spending on monetary support has decreased, unlike spending on law enforcement agencies and the state apparatus.
"The special fund requires relevant changes to this year's budget and to the Budget Code so that from next year the military levy will also go exclusively toward increasing monetary support for our Armed Forces. The bills have been registered, and we hope other factions will join our initiative," Poroshenko said.
European Solidarity is also insisting that at least 20% of the so-called military personal income tax withdrawn from community budgets be returned directly to brigade accounts.